Background Telemedicine is increasingly being used to access abortion services. Objective To assess the success rate, safety, and acceptability for women and providers of medical abortion using telemedicine. Search strategy We searched PubMed, EMBASE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science up until 10 November 2017. Study criteria We selected studies where telemedicine was used for comprehensive medical abortion services, i.e. assessment/counselling, treatment, and follow up, reporting on success rate (continuing pregnancy, complete abortion, and surgical evacuation), safety (rate of blood transfusion and hospitalisation) or acceptability (satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and recommendation of the service). Data collection and analysis Quantitative outcomes were summarised as a range of median rates. Qualitative data were summarised in a narrative synthesis. Main results Rates relevant to success rate, safety, and acceptability outcomes for women ≤10+0 weeks’ gestation (GW) ranged from 0 to 1.9% for continuing pregnancy, 93.8 to 96.4% for complete abortion, 0.9 to 19.3% for surgical evacuation, 0 to 0.7% for blood transfusion, 0.07 to 2.8% for hospitalisation, 64 to 100% for satisfaction, 0.2 to 2.3% for dissatisfaction, and 90 to 98% for recommendation of the service. Rates in studies also including women >10+0 GW ranged from 1.3 to 2.3% for continuing pregnancy, 8.5 to 20.9% for surgical evacuation, and 90 to 100% for satisfaction. Qualitative studies on acceptability showed no negative impacts for women or providers. Conclusion Based on a synthesis of mainly self‐reported data, medical abortion through telemedicine seems to be highly acceptable to women and providers, success rate and safety outcomes are similar to those reported in literature for in‐person abortion care, and surgical evacuation rates are higher. Tweetable abstract A systematic review of medical abortion through telemedicine shows outcome rates similar to in‐person care.

Women on Web is a service that uses telemedicine to help women access mifepristone and misoprostol in countries with no safe care for termination of pregnancy (TOP). This study reviews the telemedicine service. After an online consultation, women with an unwanted pregnancy of up to 9 weeks are referred to a doctor. If there are no contraindications, a medical TOP is conducted by mail. After maximising the follow up from 54.8 to 77.6%, 12.6% decided not to do the TOP and 6.8% of the women who did the medical TOP at home needed a vacuum aspiration. Telemedicine can provide an alternative to unsafe TOP. Outcomes of care are in the same range as TOP provided in outpatient settings.

Objectives To assess self reported outcomes and adverse events after self sourced medical abortion through online telemedicine. Design Population based study. Setting Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, where abortion is unavailable through the formal healthcare system except in a few restricted circumstances. Population 1000 women who underwent self sourced medical abortion through Women on Web (WoW), an online telemedicine service, between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012. Main outcome measures Successful medical abortion: the proportion of women who reported ending their pregnancy without surgical intervention. Rates of adverse events: the proportion who reported treatment for adverse events, including receipt of antibiotics and blood transfusion, and deaths reported by family members, friends, or the authorities. Care seeking for symptoms of potential complications: the frequency with which women reported experiencing symptoms of a potentially serious complication and the proportion who reported seeking medical attention as advised. Results In 2010-12, abortion medications (mifepristone and misoprostol) were sent to 1636 women and follow-up information was obtained for 1158 (71%). Among these, 1023 women confirmed use of the medications, and follow-up information was available for 1000. At the time women requested help from WoW, 781 (78%) were <7 weeks pregnant and 219 (22%) were 7-9 weeks pregnant. Overall, 94.7% (95% confidence interval 93.1% to 96.0%) reported successfully ending their pregnancy without surgical intervention. Seven women (0.7%, 0.3% to 1.5%) reported receiving a blood transfusion, and 26 (2.6%, 1.7% to 3.8%) reported receiving antibiotics (route of administration (IV or oral) could not be determined). No deaths resulting from the intervention were reported by family, friends, the authorities, or the media. Ninety three women (9.3%, 7.6% to 11.3%) reported experiencing any symptom for which they were advised to seek medical advice, and, of these, 87 (95%, 87.8% to 98.2%) sought attention. None of the five women who did not seek medical attention reported experiencing an adverse outcome. Conclusions Self sourced medical abortion using online telemedicine can be highly effective, and outcomes compare favourably with in clinic protocols. Reported rates of adverse events are low. Women are able to self identify the symptoms of potentially serious complications, and most report seeking medical attention when advised. Results have important implications for women worldwide living in areas where access to abortion is restricted.

Irish & Northern Irish women completing at-home medical TOP report benefits for health, wellbeing and autonomy Objective To examine the characteristics and experiences of women in Ireland and Northern Ireland seeking at-home medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) using online telemedicine. Design Population-based study. Setting Ireland and Northern Ireland. Population Between January 1st 2010 and December 31st 2015, 5,650 women requested at-home medical TOP through online telemedicine initiative Women on Web (WoW). Methods We examined the demographics and circumstances of women requesting medical TOP and examined the experiences of the 1,023 women who completed TOP between January 2010 and December 2012. We conducted a content analysis of women's evaluations and used logistic regression to examine factors associated with lack of emotional support during and after TOP Main Outcome Measures Satisfaction with TOP; Feelings before and after TOP; Emotional support during TOP Results Women requesting TOP were diverse with respect to age, pregnancy circumstances, and reasons for seeking TOP. Among those completing TOP, 97% felt they made the right choice and 98% would recommend it to others in a similar situation. Women commonly reported serious mental stress caused by their pregnancies and their inability to afford travel abroad to access TOP. The feelings women most commonly reported after completing TOP were “relieved” (70%) and “satisfied (36%). Women with financial hardship had twice the risk of lacking emotional support (OR=2.0, p<0.001). Conclusions The vast majority of women who completed at-home medical TOP through WoW had a positive experience. These demonstrated benefits to health and wellbeing contribute new evidence to the debate surrounding abortion laws in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Increased demand for self-managed medication abortion in states with in-clinic restrictions or high infection rates during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrates the need for remote abortion care models.