AIM: To better understand perceptions and perspectives of health service providers who provide medical abortion services and of senior students attending medical and nursing faculties in Manisa regarding medical abortion.
METHODS: This study conducted in Manisa is a part of a Turkey-wide study on “health service providers’ knowledge about, attitudes towards and perspectives on safe abortion and medical abortion”. It is a descriptive study. The questionnaire prepared by the researchers consists of two sections: one targeting health service providers and the other targeting students. The questionnaires were completed by individuals in the study group.
RESULTS: According to the survey results, service providers know at least one abortion method. According to the study group, abortion performed by non-medical midwives ranks first in the definition of unsafe abortion. In the study, 100.0% of the gynecologists, 84.7% of the general practitioners, 74.6% of the nurses / midwives stated that they were knowledgeable about Medical abortion. According to the study group, of the advantages of medical abortion, the one ranks first is that no anesthesia is administered and of the disadvantages of medical abortion, the one ranks first is that the process takes a long time. Twenty-five percent of the obstetricians, 67.8% of the general practitioners, 57.3% of the nurses / midwives, 55.2% of the medical students and 63.2% of the nursing / midwifery students were unwilling to perform medical abortion and/or to assist it.
CONCLUSION: The study indicates that although health service providers displayed a positive attitude towards medical abortion, not all of them had enough knowledge about it. Thus, it is important that medical abortion providers should attend pre-graduate training programs and that post-graduate training programs should be organized.
Key words: Medical abortion, perspectives, health service providers. Article Language: Turkish English
|
