title: Abortion services in a high-needs district: a community-based model of care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2009, a high-deprivation district health board in New Zealand set up a community-based abortion clinic in order to provide a local service and to avoid out-of-region referrals. The service offers medical abortions for women with pregnancies of up to 63 days' gestation, and surgical abortion with local anaesthetic for women with pregnancies of up to 14 weeks' gestation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the services developed and assess safety and timeliness for the first year of community-based services.
  
  
  METHODS
  An audit of clinical records for patients seen in 2010 was performed in order to obtain data on location of services, timeliness, safety and complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-two percent of locally provided abortions in 2010 were medical abortions, completed on average less than two days after referral to the service. One percent of patients experienced haemorrhaging post abortion, and 4% had retained products. These rates are within accepted standards for an abortion service.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report illustrates that a community-based model of care can be both clinically and culturally safe, while providing a much-needed service to a high-needs population.
authors.affiliation: PO Box 22, Greytown, Wairarapa 5712, New Zealand. simon@snip.co.nz
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Snook
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014850:Waiting Lists