FOCUS: Sexual Health
THE NURSE ROLE IN MEDICATION ABORTION PROVISION, A SOUTH AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE By Nola Savage and Helen Gibbons
anmf.org.au
Medication abortion has been available to Australian women since 2009. Despite the constraints of the current South Australian abortion law, requiring two medical officers to consult with the woman, medication abortion is predominantly a nurse run service which provides significant economic savings for the health budget. The World Health Organization states medication abortion can be provided by primary level health workers which includes nurses and midwives. Little information has been published about the Australian nurse’s experience of medication abortion provision. This brief article summarises the role nurses play in providing evidence based medication abortion care for women in South Australia. Nurses provide initial consultation using a woman centred approach, with a focus on her choice, safety both physically and emotionally, pain management and symptom control. Nurses provide detailed information about the process to enable informed consent. Exploration of local resources the woman can access in the event she requires
MEDICATION ABORTION IS PREDOMINANTLY A NURSE RUN SERVICE WHICH PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC SAVINGS FOR THE HEALTH BUDGET.
additional support. Contraception counselling enables women to make an informed choice about their fertility management. Nurses administer and insert long acting reversible contraception if requested once consent is obtained. Collection of vital signs and laboratory tests ensure her physical safety and future fertility is not compromised. Follow up counselling provides a safety net for the woman in the event of her experience differing from her expectations, as well as providing a successful outcome not only for the woman but also the healthcare team. From initial consultation to follow up, the nurse is the most prominent health worker in the woman’s medication abortion journey.
Nola Savage and Helen Gibbons are Associate Clinical Services Coordinators in the Pregnancy Advisory Centre at Central Adelaide Local Health Network in South Australia
September 2017 Volume 25, No. 3 33