Cited by 5Reproductive Health and ContraceptionMaternal and Perinatal Health InterventionsEthics and bioethics in healthcare

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 22 of the 25 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 21 of the 43 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

First and Second-Trimester Surgical Abortion Providers and Services in 2019: Results From the Canadian Abortion Provider Survey

Open access
Renner, Regina, Ennis, Madeleine, Kean, Lauren, Brooks, Melissa, Dineley, Brigid, Pymar, Helen, Norman, Wendy V., Guilbert, Edith·2023·Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to explore the workforce and clinical care of first and second-trimester surgical abortion (FTSA, STSA) providers following the publication of the updated Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) surgical abortion guidelines. METHODS: We conducted a national, cross-sectional, online, self-administered survey of physicians who provided abortion care in 2019. This anonymized survey collected participant demographics, types of abortion services, and characteristics of FTSA and STSA clinical care. Through healthcare organizations using a modified Dillman technique, we recruited from July to December 2020. Descriptive statistics were generated by R Statistical Software. RESULTS: We present the data of 222 surgical abortion provider respondents, of whom 219 provided FTSA, 109 STSA, and 106 both. Respondents practiced in every Canadian province and territory. Most were obstetrician-gynaecologists (56.8%) and family physicians (36.0%). The majority of FTSA and STSA respondents were located in urban settings, 64.8% and 79.8%, respectively, and more than 80% practiced in hospitals. More than 1 in 4 respondents reported <5 years' experience with surgical abortion care and 93.2% followed SOGC guidelines. Noted guideline deviations included that prophylactic antibiotic use was not universal, and more than half of respondents used sharp curettage in addition to suction. Fewer than 5% of STSA respondents used mifepristone for cervical preparation. CONCLUSION: weeks.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This national cross-sectional survey of 222 Canadian surgical abortion providers in 2019 describes a multidisciplinary, rejuvenating workforce, with most respondents following SOGC guidelines but notable deviations in cervical preparation, antibiotic prophylaxis, and sharp curettage use. Access remains concentrated in urban hospital settings, and second-trimester surgical abortion is provided by fewer respondents and less available at later gestational ages.

Key findings

Among 222 surgical abortion providers, 219 provided first-trimester surgical abortion (FTSA), 109 provided second-trimester surgical abortion (STSA), and 106 provided both; respondents practiced in every Canadian province and territory. Most were obstetrician-gynaecologists (56.8%) or family physicians (36.0%); more than 1 in 4 reported <5 years’ experience, and 93.2% reported following SOGC guidelines. Respondents reported 32,345 FTSAs and 2,181 STSAs in 2019, representing 66.7% and 4.5% of the 48,509 total surgical and medical abortions reported by survey respondents; primary care providers reported the majority of FTSAs (73.6%) and STSAs (48.6%). Guideline deviations included non-universal prophylactic antibiotic use, sharp curettage in addition to suction by over half of FTSA and STSA respondents, and mifepristone use for cervical preparation by fewer than 5% of STSA respondents.

Methods

National, cross-sectional, online, self-administered, anonymized survey of physicians who provided abortion care in Canada in 2019, recruited July–December 2020 through professional organizations and other sources using a modified Dillman technique. Of 465 clinician respondents reporting medical and/or surgical abortion, the analysis presents 222 surgical abortion providers; descriptive statistics were generated in R, with proportions or medians and interquartile ranges where appropriate. Fraud screening used a complex fraud detection algorithm; the study was approved by the BC Children’s and Women’s University of British Columbia Research Ethics Board.

Limitations

The paper states that representativeness cannot be determined because the true number of abortion providers in Canada is unknown, so no response rate could be calculated; clinical data are based on the 77.2% and 64.2% of respondents who started the FTSA and STSA clinical sections, with overrepresentation of maternal-fetal-medicine subspecialists. It also notes that 28% of FTSA and 41.3% of STSA respondents did not disclose their 2019 procedure numbers, contributing to underestimation of national surgical abortion totals, and that respondents may be more motivated and more guideline-aligned than nonrespondents. Evident from the text: the survey relied on self-report and a generic link invitation, which the authors addressed with fraud detection but which may still limit generalizability.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.jogc.2023.08.001

Cites

22 of 23 references verified1 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

R. Renner
R. RennerCC-BY-NC-ND · From the PDF
Figure 1 Respondent fl ow chart for fi rst/second-trimester surgical abortion providers who participated in CAPS 2019. a
Figure 1 Respondent fl ow chart for fi rst/second-trimester surgical abortion providers who participated in CAPS 2019. aCC-BY-NC-ND · From the PDF
Figure 2 A. Provider specialty by location of surgical practice in fi rst and second-trimester surgical abortion of CAPS respondents. B. CAPS respondents ' reports of providing surgical care by gestational age (based on maximum gestational age).
Figure 2 A. Provider specialty by location of surgical practice in fi rst and second-trimester surgical abortion of CAPS respondents. B. CAPS respondents ' reports of providing surgical care by gestational age (based on maximum gestational age).CC-BY-NC-ND · From the PDF

Verification

Claims the paper makes

66 Own result · 10 Own method · 9 Partly supported · 9 Couldn’t confirm · 7 No full text of the sources · 6 Own interpretation · 5 Sources not found · 4 No basis given · 1 Supported · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 66 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 20
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 42
51 of 51
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Canada does not comprehensively record the number of abortion providers.

    “Canada does not comprehensively record the number of abortion providers.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The true number of abortion providers in Canada is unknown.

    “The true number of abortion providers in Canada is unknown, due to the sensitive nature of this work and lack of systematic recording.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Data on the extent to which regulatory and guideline changes have impacted surgical abortion care in Canada is limited.

    “Data on the extent to which these regulatory and guideline changes have impacted surgical abortion care in Canada is limited.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In Canada only physicians are authorized to perform surgical abortion.

    “as in Canada only physicians are authorized to perform surgical abortion.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Canada does not have a law restricting the indications for which a person may access an abortion.

    “While Canada does not have a law restricting the indications for which a person may access an abortion”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

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Metadata

Authors
Renner, R., Ennis, M., Kean, L., Brooks, M., Dineley, B., Pymar, H., Norman, W. V., & Guilbert, E.
Affiliations
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • Dalhousie University (CA)
Corresponding author
Renner, Regina
Venue
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-12
Volume
45
Issue
12
Pages
102188
ISSN
1701-2163 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4385638894
Cited by
4
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3
FWCI
1.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
Keywords
surgical abortion, first-trimester abortion, second-trimester abortion, abortion providers, clinical practice patterns, guideline adherence, antibiotic prophylaxis, sharp curettage, mifepristone, cervical preparation, general practitioners
MeSH terms
Abortion, Induced, Canada, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Trimester, First, Pregnancy Trimester, Second, Mifepristone

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This page
CoChat. (2026). Citation check: First and Second-Trimester Surgical Abortion Providers and Services in 2019: Results From the Canadian Abortion Provider Survey. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1016/j.jogc.2023.08.001
The paper
Renner, R., Ennis, M., Kean, L., Brooks, M., Dineley, B., Pymar, H., Norman, W. V., & Guilbert, E. (2023). First and Second-Trimester Surgical Abortion Providers and Services in 2019: Results From the Canadian Abortion Provider Survey. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2023.08.001