New research shows the positive impact of telehealth services on medication abortion by mitigating various healthcare barriers.
Findings: Telehealth Services and Navigating Abortion Stigma and Healthcare Barriers
Implications: How Does Telehealth Services Impact Abortion Stigma?
This study analyzes the use of telehealth services to overcome abortion stigma and its associated barriers. The findings suggest that telehealth offers a promising alternative to in-clinic care, enhancing accessibility and affordability to patients seeking abortion. Patients also expressed the benefit of avoiding in-person appointments, thus circumventing any stigma often experienced with abortion clinic visits. These findings in abortion telehealth care highlight the potential to transform healthcare models that contribute to increasing healthcare reach and effectively navigating structural abortion stigmatization.
The researchers write:
“This study therefore constitutes a key step in addressing the exclusion of abortion from mainstream sociological theorization while contributing key findings that could aid in paving the way for patient-centered health models both within abortion care and beyond.”
The article, “It Was So Easy in a Situation That’s So Hard”: Structural Stigma and Telehealth Abortion, is available in Sage Journals.