Purpose. To identify the factors that influence primary care providers in their decision to
provide medical abortions.
Background. Medical abortion has been commercially available in Canada since 2017, with
reduced restrictions on prescribing since 2019. It is a safe and effective option for induced
abortion and provides autonomy to pregnant people. Understanding the barriers that exist for
primary care providers can help to identify ways to further incorporate medical abortion into
practice and increase accessibility for patients.
Design. Integrative review.
Data sources. Studies were obtained through a search of the electronic databases CINAHL
(EBSCO), Medline (OVID), and Google Scholar.
Review Methods. The Critical Skills Appraisal Programme (CASP, 2023) checklist was
modified to appraise all studies. Themes and study characteristics were elicited for data
synthesis.
Results. Eight studies were selected for review using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The
themes identified were the availability of a community of practice, health equity, educational
exposure, stigma, regulatory and funding issues, and interprofessional collaboration.
Conclusions. Addressing the themes identified through careful consideration of policy
implementation, exposure to medical abortion practice in training, ensuring a community of
practice and interprofessional collaboration are important factors in increasing access to medical
abortion.
