Abortion Self-Management as Health System Innovation

Project Details

A blister pack of medication

Although abortion is decriminalised in Australia, many people face challenges in accessing timely, supportive, non-judgmental and affordable abortion care. These challenges include complicated care pathways, high costs, lack of clear information, stigmatising interactions, and poor treatment.

Innovative medication abortion models which offer accurate information and quality-assured medications in supportive environments are enabling individuals to undergo abortions more autonomously. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of these models led the World Health Organization to include a first-of-its kind recommendation for medication abortion self-management in the 2022 abortion care guideline.

This project will explore the feasibility of integrating a self-managed medication abortion model in Australia by gathering insights on the topic from consumers and health care providers.

We are undertaking this work in two phases:

Phase 1

We will set up a group of 6-8 people who have personal experience with abortion care to help shape how we undertake phase 2 activities. This group will meet regularly with a co-design expert to share their thoughts and provide input into the research design and interpretation of findings.

Phase 2

We will conduct in-depth interviews with consumers and providers to assess the acceptability and appropriateness of a self-managed abortion model in addressing current access challenges. Additionally, we will explore how consumers prefer to access information on abortion self-management to guide the future design of this model.