COLLABORATIVE NETWORK

Women’s and Newborn Health

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Approximately one in three Australian women will undergo an abortion in their lifetime and 1% of all abortions occur after 20 weeks gestation for reasons other than medical or foetal abnormalities. Presently, the research surrounding this area is very minimal and so there is little understanding of the reasons for, processes of, experiences and level of care received by these women and people undergoing an abortion at 20 weeks.

Thus, this Late Gestation Abortion project aims are to:

  1. Understand the contributing factors for abortions at and over 20 weeks
  2. Examine health provider experiences in providing care for people seeking abortions at and over 20 weeks
  3. Explore the quality of care experienced by pregnant women and people who seek abortions at and over 20 weeks and how care can be improved

This project received financial support from the Women’s Health Research and Translation Network (WHRTN) Establishment Grant via the MACH Women’s and Newborn Health committee.

This research will:

  • Provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to pregnant women and people accessing abortions at and over 20 weeks
  • Provide valuable feedback to the multidisciplinary health care regarding how to best care for the physical and psychological needs of their patients
  • Inform appropriate health care system changes to ensure hospitals provide quality care