Person-centred abortion care from the perspectives of abortion seekers: A scoping review

Person-centred abortion care means being respectful of and responsive to the preferences, needs and values of individuals seeking an abortion. The objective of this scoping review was to synthesise the literature on features of person-centred care important to or valued by abortion seekers to examine the applicability of the eight domains from the Person-Centred Care Framework for Reproductive Health Equity to abortion care. Where appropriate, we built on the domains by identifying features specific to abortion services. We synthesised evidence from 123 primary research articles across 33 countries. Abortion seekers across included studies described features of all eight domains that were important for high quality care. While some identified features were applicable to reproductive health more broadly, others were specific to the abortion context which had not been presented in the original framework. Abortion-specific features included providers validating one’s abortion decision without the abortion seeker needing to provide a justification and facilitating conversations around the complexity and uncertainty of feelings that may arise when seeking abortion care. This research provides an evidence base that can directly inform clinical guidelines and quality of care measures to support abortion seekers to achieve their desired sexual and reproductive health goals. • Person-Centred Care Framework for Reproductive Health Equity is applicable to abortion care • Identified features of person-centred abortion care can inform clinical guidelines • Findings shed light on facets of abortion care overlooked by satisfaction measures • Person-centred abortion care domains are interconnecte