Medical abortion practices among private providers in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE

To describe medical abortion (MA) practices among private providers in Vietnam.

METHODS

The study subjects were women (n = 258) undergoing early MA through 12 private providers in Hanoi during February-June 2012. The women were interviewed on the day of their procedure and were followed up by telephone 14 days after mifepristone administration.

RESULTS

Of the 258 women in the study, 97% used a regimen of mifepristone plus misoprostol; 80% were instructed to administer misoprostol at home. MA resulted in a complete termination in 90.8% of cases. All women were provided with information on potential complications and were instructed to return for a follow-up visit. We successfully followed up 77.5% (n = 200) of participants by telephone, while nearly two-thirds of women returned to the clinic for a follow-up visit. At follow-up, 39.5% of women reported having used a Help line service, while 7% had sought help from a health provider. A high unmet need for postabortion family planning was identified.

CONCLUSION

Follow-up of women, postabortion care, and the provision of family planning have been identified as important areas to address for strengthening MA services in the private sector in Vietnam.