Effect of post-abortion care on repeated abortion rate after abortion

Abstract

Objective To explore the effect of post-abortion care (PAC) on repeated abortion rate after abortion. Methods 792 patients undergoing artificial abortion at the hospital affiliated to our college from August, to December, 2016 were selected. According to the operation dates, the patients taking abortion on even dates were set as an experimental group and the ones taking abortion on odd dates a control group. The control group were routinely cared before and after the abortion and the experimental group received post-abortion care, including setting up a PAC team, targeted pre- and post-operative care instruction by professional staff, and postoperative care services such as telephone follow-up guidance project. Both groups were followed up 3, 6, and 12 months after the abortion through telephone to know the incidences of repeated abortion. Results The repeated abortion rates 6 and 12 month after the operation were 1.77% and 2.53% in the experimental group and were 4.28% and 5.29% in the control group, with statistical differences (χ2= 4.245, P=0.039; χ2= 4.005, P=0.045). Conclusion Post-abortion care can effectively reduce postoperative repeated abortion rate and is beneficial to the women’s physical and mental health. Key words: Post-abortion care; Abortion; Repeated abortion; Guidance of contraception