Women’s satisfaction with abortion care in academic family medicine centers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The primary study aim was to describe patient satisfaction regarding abortion experiences in urban academic family medicine centers (FMCs). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 210 women obtaining a first trimester medication or aspiration abortion at four FMCs. The 32-item written survey consisted of multiple choice, open-ended questions and Likert scale measures (for satisfaction: 1=very dissatisfied, 2=somewhat dissatisfied, 3=somewhat satisfied, 4=very satisfied, for quality of care: 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=excellent). We used Fisher’s exact test to examine bivariate relationships. Responses to open-ended questions were coded and categorized. RESULTS: The majority of women (93%) were very satisfied with their abortion experience in their FMC, regardless of clinical site or abortion method. Mean scores for the quality of the staff, doctor, abortion counseling, and contraceptive counseling were all at least 3.9 (out of 4). Women most commonly cited positive interactions with the staff and physicians as the best part of their experience. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that women who receive abortion services at academic FMCs are highly satisfied with their care.