title: Clinic-level introduction of medical abortion in Vietnam.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of medical abortion and patient satisfaction in the clinic setting, in addition to determining healthcare providers' views.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2006 to 2008, 2400 women were enrolled at 10 Vietnam Family Planning Association (VINAFPA) clinics in an operations research project. Participants took 200mg of oral mifepristone in the clinic and 400 μg of oral misoprostol 2 days later at home or in the clinic. Abortion status was assessed at follow-up. Furthermore, in 2006, 900 clinicians at 45 health facilities answered a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey to capture providers' views.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 93.8% of participants had successful medical abortions. The majority (84.5%) administered misoprostol at home. Adverse effects included bleeding, pain/cramps, and nausea. Most women (92.6%) were satisfied/very satisfied with the method. Most providers who took the survey (85.6%) recommended that medical abortion be introduced at VINAFPA clinics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The operations research data demonstrate the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of medical abortion at VINAFPA clinics. The majority of surveyed providers endorsed adding medical abortion at their own facilities. Developing national guidelines for providing medical abortion at the clinic level is an important step in expanding access to services in Vietnam.
authors.affiliation: Gynuity Health Projects, New York, NY 10010, USA. sraghavan@gynuity.org
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raghavan
authors.forename: Nguyen thi Nhu
authors.initials: Nt
authors.lastname: Ngoc
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shochet
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winikoff
mesh_terms: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000592:standards*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016595:Misoprostol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000139:chemically induced; D011247:Pregnancy; D012646:Self Administration; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D016595:Misoprostol