In May 2023, the Government of Canada announced more than $4.2 million in funding to strengthen access to abortion in Canada. As part of this investment, UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART) received $3.8 million from Health Canada.
In response to the lack of access to educational resources on reproductive health for both equity-deserving groups and health professionals, the CART Access Project was developed with the aim to reduce service provision barriers and gaps, increase the accessibility of abortion services and improve person-centered abortion care.
"It's good to go through cases that demonstrate barriers to access for marginalized groups. It makes me more aware about how this is a time sensitive issue and that there is a real risk to patient's health if things are constantly delayed and referred to someone else,” said one course participant.
This initiative included design and development of medical education for health professionals who work in primary care.
The CART Access Project at UBC CPD
The project stretched across three phases to focus on existing learning gaps and address specific educational needs — discovery, design and development, and delivery.
Through discovery, stakeholders were engaged across the country through four focus group sessions, including physicians and nurse practitioners with expertise in abortion care, physicians and nurse practitioners without expertise on or the ability to provide abortion care, registered nurses and midwives with expertise in abortion care, and people with lived experiences in accessing abortion care within the past five years in Canada.
The discovery phase identified key themes to address in the education development
- abortion care should be normalized as part of routine practice, alongside other contraception methods and pregnancy issues
- many Canadians are underserved and experience barriers to accessing abortion care
- health-care providers have a role to play in abortion care even if they cannot prescribe
- person-centered strategies can help health-care practitioners overcome challenges and logistical barriers to provide abortion care
A diverse working group played an integral role during the design and development phase of this project. Physicians, midwives, nurse practitioners, academics and people with lived experiences developed content that reflects different realities of abortion access and care across the country. They provided insight on abortion care for those experiencing housing instability, substance use disorder, religious and language barriers, disabilities, fly-in Indigenous communities and transgender access to abortion.
Education delivery
Launched in March 2024, UBC CPD and CART have developed an accredited and self-paced course for health professionals who provide primary, sexual and reproductive health care across Canada.
We All Have a Role to Play: Increasing Access to Abortion Care in Canada explores current abortion trends across the country and applies person-centered strategies to overcome logistical and other practice barriers that hinder abortion care. The course is designed with English and French language options.
By the end of the course, learners can expect to be able to identify the role they play in increasing access to optimal abortion care in their community, practice de-stigmatized and contextually appropriate abortion care for populations facing systemic barriers and more.
"I now have a much better understanding of how to approach discussions around abortion with patients, what important information to gather, the local resources for referral for abortions, how to help patients smoothly navigate the system to access care, and I feel much more comfortable with initiating medication abortion for patients myself,” said a course participant.
Other offerings at UBC CPD
UBC CPD also provides education on reproductive health care through popular online courses, such as the Emergency Contraception Update and Midwifery Hormonal Contraception Course.
Further, the Midwifery CPD Program incorporates in-person skills-based programs and online education available for health professionals across Canada.
Acknowledgments
This course was developed in partnership with University of British Columbia (UBC) — Contraception and Abortion Research Team (CART) and funded by Health Canada.
