P033Patient acceptability of asynchronous vs synchronous telehealth medication abortion care in the US

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> Despite its recent expansion in the US, little is known about patient experiences with direct-to-patient telehealth abortion care and its role in addressing inequities in access to care. <h3>Methods</h3> We analyzed surveys from patients of three US virtual abortion clinics — Choix, Hey Jane, and Abortion on Demand — who received care between April 2021 and January 2022. We described telehealth abortion experiences and used logistic regression to evaluate inequities by race/ethnicity and by whether the patient communicated with the provider by video (synchronous) or messaging (asynchronous). <h3>Results</h3> Across the 1,306 included participants, nearly all (98%) felt they could trust the telehealth provider, 95% said that telehealth abortion was the right experience for them, and 89% were very satisfied. Participants cited privacy (93%) and the ability to get the abortion pills quickly (91%) as benefits. The most common drawbacks were concerns about whether the service was legitimate (37%), not confirming the abortion outcome at a clinic (23%), and not having a screening ultrasound (21%). Compared to white participants, Asian participants were less likely to be very satisfied with their care (OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3–1.0). We found no other differences by race/ethnicity. While patients who received synchronous care were more likely to report that telehealth was right for them (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.0–6.3), we found no differences in satisfaction and trust by communication method. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Telehealth abortion care is highly acceptable, and its benefits include privacy and expediency. However, there may be some differences by race/ethnicity that warrant further exploration.