We are pleased to announce that we were recently offered funding for our Mifepristone study from the Partnerships for Health System Improvement Program by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.
Although the gold standard for medical abortion care worldwide has been the use of mifepristone, the medication was only recently approved in Canada in July 2015. The introduction of mifepristone presents an exceptional opportunity to better understand the effectiveness of health care provider training on adoption of medical abortion into practice and the impact on access to abortion, particularly for women in rural and remote areas. Our study of mifepristone implementation seeks to understand address the facilitators and barriers to support successful initiation and ongoing provision of medical abortion service in Canada. The study is an observational prospective mixed methods study offered to mifepristone health professional certificates, enrolling up to 1500 within the first year. We are also creating a “Community of Practice” platform to support clinical, health service, and system challenges faced by clinicians adopting mifepristone.
Health Canada’s current regulation requiring physician only dispensing ignores current safeguards compared to the standard of pharmacist-dispensing, which is required in most Canadian provinces. CART is currently raising awareness about the implications of Health Canada’s restrictive policy. “This policy will limit access for women.” says Dr. Norman.
