{
    "abstract": "This study aimed to compare demographics and clinical outcomes between patients who did not undergo investigations and those who underwent investigations before receiving a prescription for medication abortion (MA) during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes include success rates, adverse events, pathways to completion, and loss to follow-up rates.\nWe conducted a retrospective medical record review of 1452 patients presenting for MA between 23 March 2020 and 30 September 2020. Descriptive statistics, 2\u00a0\u00d7 2 chi-square tests, and Fisher exact tests were used to compare characteristics and outcomes between groups.\nOf the 1307 patients who received a prescription, 895 (68.5%) were in the no-test group and 412 (31.5%) were in the test group. The success rate was 95.2%, with no significant difference between groups (94.0% and 95.8%, P\u00a0= 0.194). Rates of adverse events were low, with 28 patients presenting for emergency department visits (2.1%), 62 having clinically significant retained products of conception (4.7%), 5 with heavy bleeding requiring treatment (0.4%), 16 with ongoing pregnancy (1.2%), and 3 requiring ectopic pregnancy management (0.2%). Completion of abortion was verified in 1034 patients (80.5%), and the loss to follow-up rate was 22.6%, with no difference between the groups (82.1% vs. 79.8%, P\u00a0= 0.341; and 21.4% vs. 23.1%, P\u00a0= 0.477; respectively).\nWe found that clinical outcomes were consistent across the 2 groups, with high success rates and low adverse event rates. Our study contributes to the growing body of evidence that allows for individualized care implementing selective use of low- and no-test MA protocols.",
    "authors": [
        {
            "affiliation": "Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. Electronic address: cmh333@mail.usask.ca.",
            "firstname": "Caitlin",
            "initials": "C",
            "lastname": "Hunter"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Willow Reproductive Health Centre, Vancouver, BC.",
            "firstname": "Maya",
            "initials": "M",
            "lastname": "Burck"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, BC.",
            "firstname": "Colleen",
            "initials": "C",
            "lastname": "Chambers"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, BC.",
            "firstname": "Farhana",
            "initials": "F",
            "lastname": "Shawon"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NC.",
            "firstname": "M Ruth",
            "initials": "MR",
            "lastname": "Lavergne"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Vancouver, BC.",
            "firstname": "Amanda",
            "initials": "A",
            "lastname": "Whitten"
        },
        {
            "affiliation": "Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.",
            "firstname": "Mei-Ling",
            "initials": "ML",
            "lastname": "Wiedmeyer"
        }
    ],
    "conclusions": null,
    "copyrights": "Copyright \u00a9 2024 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.",
    "doi": "10.1016/j.jogc.2024.102730",
    "journal": "Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d'obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC",
    "keywords": [
        "COVID-19",
        "induced abortion",
        "mifepristone",
        "misoprostol",
        "telemedicine",
        "ultrasound"
    ],
    "methods": null,
    "publication_date": "2024-12-01",
    "pubmed_id": "39615625",
    "results": "Of the 1307 patients who received a prescription, 895 (68.5%) were in the no-test group and 412 (31.5%) were in the test group. The success rate was 95.2%, with no significant difference between groups (94.0% and 95.8%, P\u00a0= 0.194). Rates of adverse events were low, with 28 patients presenting for emergency department visits (2.1%), 62 having clinically significant retained products of conception (4.7%), 5 with heavy bleeding requiring treatment (0.4%), 16 with ongoing pregnancy (1.2%), and 3 requiring ectopic pregnancy management (0.2%). Completion of abortion was verified in 1034 patients (80.5%), and the loss to follow-up rate was 22.6%, with no difference between the groups (82.1% vs. 79.8%, P\u00a0= 0.341; and 21.4% vs. 23.1%, P\u00a0= 0.477; respectively).",
    "title": "Test or No-Test: Comparison of Medication Abortion Outcomes and Adverse Events When Forgoing Ultrasound, Laboratory Testing, and Physical Examination.",
    "xml": "<Element 'PubmedArticle' at 0x788504b4d530>"
}