Establishing safety and efficacy of medication abortion provision by advanced practice clinicians within Hawai’i, Alaska, and Washington state
Abortion
Awarded 2024
Documenting the safety and efficacy of medication abortion provision by nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants
Molly Altman, PhD, CNM, MPH
University of Hawai'i School of Nursing
$49,943

Advanced practice clinicians (APCs), including nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, play a key role in access to medication abortion throughout the US. However, data describing the safety and efficacy of medication abortion provision by APCs is limited. We have established a unique partnership between the University of Hawai’i, the Queen’s Medical Center, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, and Cedar River Clinics to compile an extensive dataset capturing medication abortion provision by APCs. This partnership will document provision across diverse patient populations, including those who experience some of the highest burdens of maternal morbidity and mortality, specifically Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native communities. Using a retrospective approach through chart abstraction, we aim to describe the safety and efficacy of medication abortions provided by APCs to support ongoing APC provision, and therefore access, to high quality medication abortion services. The findings from this study can be used to advocate for broader medication abortion access through more expansive APC provision.