Induced abortion is the most common gynecological procedure in Scotland. Despite several recent initiatives to improve the quality of abortion care, inappropriate variations in care remain.
Researchers conducted this study to identify and explore factors that enable or constrain the provision of high-quality induced abortion care in Scotland.
The data collection tool was the interviews with a range of key informants with differing perspectives and levels of involvement in abortion care. The interview framework identified factors related to recommendations, targeted individuals, or the organization and broader environment that enable or inhibit evidence-based practice.
Induced abortion care in Scotland is generally perceived as acceptable quality, but the need for further action to tackle inappropriate critical variations in care is recognized. Some aspects of care can be improved by tackling individual-level barriers and providing better evidence to support change. Some individual-level walls (e.g.attitudes) are less amenable to change than others (e.g.knowledge). However, significant barriers to quality improvement are rooted in organizational and social culture.
The study concluded that tackling variations in abortion care requires a multilevel approach targeting individual and organizational cultures.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/31/1/20
