Abortion Knowledge Among Advanced Practice Clinicians in Colorado

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health Policy
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Advanced practice clinicians (APCs) play a vital role in reproductive healthcare delivery.
• Understanding of abortion law and care protocols is essential for comprehensive patient services.
• Gaps in knowledge among healthcare providers can impact access to and quality of abortion care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the existing knowledge of abortion law and care among APCs in Colorado.
• To identify factors associated with variations in abortion knowledge.
• To inform the development of targeted educational interventions.

Main Methods:

• A stratified random survey was administered to 513 APCs in Colorado.
• The survey assessed knowledge of abortion law and care, demographic characteristics, and practice patterns.
• Statistical analyses, including linear regression, were used to examine knowledge scores and associated factors.

Main Results:

• APCs demonstrated low mean scores on both abortion law (1.7/7.0) and abortion care (2.8/8.0) knowledge.
• "I don't know" was the most frequent response for over half of the law and care questions.
• Practicing outside of women's health and not providing options counseling were associated with lower knowledge scores.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps in abortion law and care knowledge exist among Colorado APCs.
• Educational initiatives focusing on abortion law and comprehensive care are needed.
• Improving clinician knowledge can enhance the quality and accessibility of abortion services.