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» Go to news mainMedia opportunity: Interactive, anonymous website to help Canadians choose the right type of abortion for them
Deciding to have an abortion is a deeply personal choice, and so is what comes next: determining the type of abortion that's best for you.
Researchers at Dalhousie University and the University of British Columbia worked with UBC PhD student Kate Wahl to develop It’s My Choice, Canada’s first interactive website aimed at helping people identify the abortion option that best fits their values and circumstances.
Hosted by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), the tool integrates the best available evidence on the two methods of abortion available in Canada: the abortion pill and abortion procedure. Users learn what to expect from each option, and after completing a secure and anonymous questionnaire, receive a personalized recommendation designed to support conversations with their health-care provider.
Wahl created It’s My Choice with Dalhousie's Dr. Melissa Brooks, UBC supervisor Dr. Sarah Munro and a team of researchers, clinicians and patient partners.
Dr. Brooks, an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a co-investigator in the development of the tool, recently completed a randomized controlled trial of the tool at the ROSE abortion clinic to see if it helped reduce decisional conflict among people seeking abortion. Preliminary data suggest it did for people who used it compared to those who are directed to the ROSE clinic website.
Dr. Brooks is available to discuss this new tool and how it provides valuable information on the abortion-care options, a calculation on which one someone may prefer, guidance to help people find their preferred option, and resources for users who may face barriers in accessing reproductive health care.
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Media contact:
Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca
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