Results
52,142 medical abortions were conducted, 29,984 in the
telemedicine-hybrid cohort and 22,158 in the traditional cohort. Mean
waiting times were 4.2 days shorter in the telemedicine-hybrid cohort
and 40% were ≤6 weeks’ gestation vs. 25% in the traditional cohort
(p<0.001). There was no difference in success rates (98.8%
vs. 98.2%, p=1.0), nor in prevalence of serious adverse events (0.02%
vs. 0.04%, p=0.557). Incidence of ectopic pregnancy was equivalent in
both cohorts (0.2%, p=0.796); 0.04% of abortions appeared to have been
provided after 10 weeks’ gestation with all completed safely at home. In
the telemedicine-hybrid cohort, effectiveness was higher in the
telemedicine group vs. the in-person group (99.2% vs. 98.1%,
p<0.001). Acceptability was high (96% satisfied), 80%
reported a future preference for telemedicine, and none reported that
they were unable to consult in private using teleconsultation.