Medical abortion practices among private providers in Vietnam.
Park, Min Hae;
Nguyen, Thang Huu;
Dang, Anh Thi Ngoc;
Ngo, Thoai Dinh;
(2013)
Medical abortion practices among private providers in Vietnam.
International journal of women's health, 5 (1).
pp. 593-598.
ISSN 1179-1411
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S51137
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OBJECTIVE: To describe medical abortion (MA) practices among private providers in Vietnam. METHODS: The study subjects were women (n = 258) undergoing early MA through 12 private providers in Hanoi during February-June 2012. The women were interviewed on the day of their procedure and were followed up by telephone 14 days after mifepristone administration. RESULTS: Of the 258 women in the study, 97% used a regimen of mifepristone plus misoprostol; 80% were instructed to administer misoprostol at home. MA resulted in a complete termination in 90.8% of cases. All women were provided with information on potential complications and were instructed to return for a follow-up visit. We successfully followed up 77.5% (n = 200) of participants by telephone, while nearly two-thirds of women returned to the clinic for a follow-up visit. At follow-up, 39.5% of women reported having used a Help line service, while 7% had sought help from a health provider. A high unmet need for postabortion family planning was identified. CONCLUSION: Follow-up of women, postabortion care, and the provision of family planning have been identified as important areas to address for strengthening MA services in the private sector in Vietnam.