Researchers conducted this study to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of private obstetricians and gynecologists towards abortion, post-abortion care, and post-abortion family planning.
A cross-sectional study used a self-administered questionnaire of 150 obstetricians/gynecologists at private clinics, centers, hospitals in Ismailia, Egypt. The questionnaire was composed of four broad sections: section one was about the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants; section two was about physicians’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding abortion; section three was about their attitudes and practices regarding post-abortion family planning and screening for STDs in patients presenting for induced abortion, and section four was about the socio-demographic characteristics of women seeking induced abortion taken from the physicians’ views.
Only 15.2% of participants had performed an abortion for unwanted pregnancies at ≤12 weeks vs. 3.8% for unwanted pregnancies >12 weeks’ gestation. The most common reason for not completing an abortion was religious prohibition.
The majority of private obstetricians/gynecologists in Ismailia, Egypt, do not perform abortions for unwanted pregnancies because of their religious beliefs. Post-abortion screening for STDs and family planning services are not sufficiently integrated into post-abortion care.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1760239
