Medical Abortion Training in Asia:

Innovative Approaches  

Case studies from Ipas’s experience

Phan Bich Thuy, MD, MPH

Protecting women’s health Advancing women’s reproductive rights

What makes MA services different? Medical abortion is a process like a miscarriage that women experience over several hours /days and often outside of the clinic setting

Different needs for training

Training includes…

Clinical sites/Providers

MA serviceWomen in

needCommunity

• Clinical training • Experience sharing• Peer education• IEC materials

• Women group’

activities • Street dramas• IEC materials

Who are trainees/audiences? Doctors

Midwives

Nurses

Auxiliary nurse,

midwives

Counselors

Administrators

Community intermediaries

People in the community

Nepal Train Female Community Health Volunteers

Conduct pregnancy tests - early pregnancy detection

Refer to prenatal care or safe abortion sites

Provide family planning counseling

Distribute condoms

/contraceptive pills

Vietnam

Women Clubs’ activities

Provision of MA information

Questions &

answers

Role playing

Poems/songsVisits to clinical sites

India Street drama

Acting troupe went to small villages and enacted skits or short dramas

Experts in medical abortion helped to develop the script.

IEC materials

Inform woman about safe abortion

Clinical TrainingVietnam, Nepal, India & Cambodia

Whole site training

First, train a small group of providers

Trained providers go back to their sites and train everyone

Person who answers the phone is the one who first answers the patient’s questions - needs to be trained

Clinical Training (cont.)Practice

Observe medical abortion counseling

on client’s first visit, second visit, and follow-up visit

Observe expulsion phase of medical abortion

Learn about patients’ experiences with MA

Clinical Training (cont.)Training methods

Case studies

Group work

Debates

Role playing

Observation

Practice on real patients

Values clarification

Blended learning

Training Follow-up Mentoring new providers

Quality of care monitoring using measurable monitoring tool

Experience-sharing meeting with providers

Sending providers updated research

Lessons learned

Educate both sides: providers & women/people at community

Use different training methods & content based on training purposes & background of trainees/audiences

Use a comprehensive training model to ensure effective practices

Share experiences: learn from each other

Frequently update knowledge

Lessons learned (cont.) Link training with:

Drug availability

Monitoring quality of care

Managing changes

at clinical sites

IEC material development

Community activities

Policy changes

Thank you!