Patient Acceptability of Telehealth Medication Abortion Care in the United States, 2021‒2022: A Cohort Study

Abstract

Objectives. Despite the recent expansion of direct-to-patient telehealth abortion care in the United States, patient experiences with the service are not well understood. Methods. We described care experiences of 1600 telehealth abortion patients in 2021 to 2022 and used logistic regression to explore differences by race or ethnicity and between synchronous (phone or video) and asynchronous (secure messaging) telehealth abortion care. Results. Most patients trusted the provider (98%), felt telehealth was the right decision (96%), felt cared for (92%), and were very satisfied (89%). Patients most commonly cited privacy (76%), timeliness (74%), and staying at home (71%) as benefits. The most commonly reported drawback was initial uncertainty about whether the service was legitimate (38%). Asian patients were less likely to be very satisfied than White patients (79% vs 90%; P = .008). Acceptability was high for both synchronous and asynchronous care. Conclusions. Telehealth abortion care is highly acceptable, and benefits include privacy and expediency. Public Health Implications. Telehealth abortion can expand abortion access in an increasingly restricted landscape while maintaining patient-centered care. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(2):241–250. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307437 )