Findings based on comparison between ambulatory surgical centers, office-based settings
WEDNESDAY, June 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) There is no significant difference in abortion-related morbidities and adverse events following induced abortions, whether the procedure is performed in an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) or an office-based setting, according to a study published online June 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Sarah C. M. Roberts, Dr.P.H., from University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed claims data from women with U.S. private health insurance who underwent induced abortions (n = 49,287) in an ASC or office-based setting (January 2011 through December 2014) in order to compare outcomes based on facility type.
The researchers found that over the study period there were 50,311 induced abortions (47 percent first-trimester aspiration, 27 percent first-trimester medication, and 26 percent second trimester or later). Eleven percent were performed in ASCs versus 89 in office-based settings. Overall, 3.33 percent had an abortion-related morbidity or adverse event, with 0.32 percent having a major abortion-related morbidity or adverse event. Abortion-related infection occurred in 0.74 percent. There was no statistically significant difference between ASCs and office-based settings, respectively, in the rates of abortion-related morbidities or adverse events (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.97; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.81 to 1.17), major morbidities or adverse events (adjusted OR, 0.78; 95 percent CI, 0.45 to 1.37), or infections (adjusted OR, 0.75; 95 percent CI, 0.52 to 1.09) in adjusted analyses.
“These findings, in addition to individual patient and individual facility factors, may inform decisions about the type of facility in which induced abortions are performed,” conclude the authors.
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