Delivery of Audiovisual Information on Early Medical Abortion

The majority of abortions in the United Kingdom (UK) are performed before 9 weeks (63 days) gestation using a method known as Early Medical Abortion (EMA). EMA involves an assessment visit and provision of two types of medication .

The assessment visit usually involves Ultrasound to confirm gestation, detailed personal history, safeguarding assessment and contraception planning, before arranging treatment and follow up.

The process is long and lots of information is given to women attending the service. In NHS Lothian (National Health Service, Lothian Health Board), the average appointment length for combined assessment and provision of the first part of treatment is 3 hours.

Despite how common abortion is ( 1 in 3), many women presenting for abortion care are not aware of what the procedure will involve. This may in part to the social stigma surrounding abortion and unintended pregnancy in general. This stigma can in turn result in feelings of anxiety and shame about the decision to terminate a pregnancy.

There is evidence that short videos shown to patients prior to abortion or contraception consultations can improve their ability to recall information and can make them feel more confident about the procedure.

Additionally, abortion care providers have found patients who have seen videos to be better prepared and informed and this allows consultations to progress more easily and allow greater time for discussion of contraceptive methods.

We have prepared a video approximately 3 minutes in length to provide information about EMA. It summarises the process described above using simple language and animated characters. The video has been translated into French, Portuguese and Swedish and has been adapted to reflect subtle differences in practice and law in these countries. We have partners in services in these three countries who will be conducting the trial there in accordance with this protocol and their own local ethics and clinical governance requirements.

Despite abortion being a common medical procedure, many women do not have access to good quality, reliable information about it. This may stem from the stigma and shame surrounding the procedure leading to less community knowledge and experience sharing compared to other medical conditions, for example diabetes or heart disease.

Lack of knowledge and understanding about a medical procedure can cause anxiety, distress and confusion when seeing a healthcare professional, which in turn can prolong consultations.

By introducing the short video animation, we are hoping that this will give the women attending the service a basic level of knowledge about Early Medical Abortion, reduce the anxiety and worry they are experiencing by informing them, and make them feel more confident and clear during their consultations.

It has been shown in other studies that short videos in contraception and abortion consultations can have this impact, but a randomised control trial methodology has never been applied to this intervention.

In a standard initial Early Medical Abortion visit a patient will experience the following Patient Journey:

1. Arrival and registration
2. Waiting for appointment in waiting room
3. Ultrasound scan to determine gestation
4. Self taken vulvovaginal swab for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea screening
5. Blood tests for : HIV, Syphilis, Full Blood Count, Blood Group
6. Return to the waiting room
7. Assessment consultation with healthcare professional (i.e. Specialist Nurse or Doctor)
8. Return to the waiting room
9. Treatment Consultation: to receive 'first part' of treatment i.e. Mifepristone and dates for 'second part' 24-48 hours later.
10. Leave department

In the study, the above will happen, however patients will be given a participant information sheet (at step 1 above )when they arrive in department to register. At Step 6, when the patient has returned to the waiting room, eligible patients will be approached and asked if they would like to participate and if so will be randomised to 'standard of care' or 'intervention' (i.e. the video). They will resume the Patient Journey above and will again be approached at Step 8 or Step 10 to complete the short questionnaire.

For the questionnaire: a single researcher will record, on a standard proforma, what information the subject had taken from the consultation and its accuracy, and the overall acceptability of the consultation using a Likert scale to quantify descriptors such as 'helpful', 'informative', 'understandable', 'impersonal', 'sympathetic' 'unsympathetic' etc.

The number of women declining to participate in the study would be recorded .

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Female
2. Pregnant
3. Presenting for Termination of Pregnancy
4. Aged 16 years or over
5. Able to understand English (the video is in English, and whilst translations are available, their content has been altered to reflect abortion laws in other countries)
6. Gestation of 9 weeks (63 days) or less on ultrasound scan
7. Able to provide consent

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Non pregnant
2. Pregnancy of Unknown Location
3. Uncertain of decision or wishing to continue pregnancy
4. 15 years old or younger
5. Unable to understand English
6. Gestation 9 weeks and 1 day (64 days) or greater on ultrasound scan.
7. Unable to provide consent