title: Patient education and emotional support practices in abortion care facilities in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about how patient education and emotional support is provided at abortion facilities. This pilot study documents 27 facilities' practices in this aspect of abortion care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted confidential telephone interviews with staff from 27 abortion facilities about their practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of facilities reported they rely primarily on trained nonclinician staff to educate patients and provide emotional support. As part of their informed consent and counseling processes, facilities reported that staff always provide patients with information about the procedure (96%), assess the certainty of their abortion decisions (92%), assess their feelings and provide emotional support (74%), and provide contraceptive health education (92%). Time spent providing these components of care varied across facilities and patients. When describing their facility's care philosophy, many respondents expressed support for "patient-centered," "supportive," "nonjudgmental" care. Eighty-two percent agreed that it is the facility's role to provide counseling for emotional issues related to abortion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All facilities valued informed consent, patient education, and emotional support. Although the majority of facilities considered counseling for emotional issues to be a part of their role, some did not. Future research should examine patients' preferences regarding abortion care and counseling and how different approaches to care affect women's emotional well-being after having an abortion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This information is important in light of current, widespread legislative efforts that aim to regulate abortion counseling, which are being proposed without an understanding of patient needs or facility practices.
authors.affiliation: Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. gouldh@obgyn.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: Alissa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perrucci
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barar
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sinkford
authors.forename: Diana Greene
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002140:California; D004644:Emotions; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone