We have located links that may give you full text access.
What attributes of abortion care affect people's decision-making? Results from a discrete choice experiment.
Contraception 2023 November 16
OBJECTIVES: We aimed to measure both stated and experimentally "revealed" abortion-provision preferences among US people with capacity for pregnancy.
STUDY DESIGN: In July 2022, we recruited US residents assigned female sex at birth and aged 18-55 using Prolific, an online survey hosting platform. We asked participants what first-trimester abortion method and delivery model they would prefer. We also assessed abortion care preferences with a discrete choice experiment, which examined the relative importance of the following care attributes: method, distance, wait time for appointment, delivery model (telehealth versus in-clinic), and cost.
RESULTS: More than half of the 887 respondents (59%) self-reported a slight (22%) or strong (37%) preference for medication compared to aspiration abortion; 11% stated no preference. Our discrete choice experiment found that cost and wait time had a greater effect on hypothetical decision-making than did method and delivery model (discrete choice experiment average importances=44.3 and 23.2, respectively, compared to 15.9 and 8.2, respectively). Simulations indicated that, holding other attributes constant, respondents preferred medication to aspiration abortion and telehealth to in-clinic care.
CONCLUSIONS: This study, the first to examine abortion preferences in the US using a discrete choice experiment, demonstrates the importance of wait time and cost in abortion care decision-making. Our work indicates that for this population, factors related to health care financing and organization may matter more than clinical aspects of care.
IMPLICATIONS: Although people in this study preferred medication to aspiration abortion and telehealth to in-clinic care, wait time and cost of care played a greater role in care decision-making. Focusing solely on clinical aspects of care (i.e., method, delivery model) may ignore other attributes of care that are particularly important for potential patients.
STUDY DESIGN: In July 2022, we recruited US residents assigned female sex at birth and aged 18-55 using Prolific, an online survey hosting platform. We asked participants what first-trimester abortion method and delivery model they would prefer. We also assessed abortion care preferences with a discrete choice experiment, which examined the relative importance of the following care attributes: method, distance, wait time for appointment, delivery model (telehealth versus in-clinic), and cost.
RESULTS: More than half of the 887 respondents (59%) self-reported a slight (22%) or strong (37%) preference for medication compared to aspiration abortion; 11% stated no preference. Our discrete choice experiment found that cost and wait time had a greater effect on hypothetical decision-making than did method and delivery model (discrete choice experiment average importances=44.3 and 23.2, respectively, compared to 15.9 and 8.2, respectively). Simulations indicated that, holding other attributes constant, respondents preferred medication to aspiration abortion and telehealth to in-clinic care.
CONCLUSIONS: This study, the first to examine abortion preferences in the US using a discrete choice experiment, demonstrates the importance of wait time and cost in abortion care decision-making. Our work indicates that for this population, factors related to health care financing and organization may matter more than clinical aspects of care.
IMPLICATIONS: Although people in this study preferred medication to aspiration abortion and telehealth to in-clinic care, wait time and cost of care played a greater role in care decision-making. Focusing solely on clinical aspects of care (i.e., method, delivery model) may ignore other attributes of care that are particularly important for potential patients.
Full text links
Related Resources
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices 
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app