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Abortion, InducedNCT00370487

Comparison of the Safety of First Trimester Abortions Performed by Physicians and Non-Physicians in South Africa and Viet Nam.

An observational study of Abortion, Induced, run by World Health Organization.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

There have been no studies in developing countries assessing the safety of midlevel providers (MLP) compared to physicians in performing first-trimester manual vacuum aspiration abortion. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Abortion, Induced
How many people
2,860 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Sep 2003to Jun 2004
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • gestation of no more than 12 weeks as estimated by pelvic examination and date of LMP
  • age 18 or above
  • residence within the catchment area specified for each clinic
  • willing to return to clinic for follow-up visit or agree to a telephone or home-based interview
  • be able to understand the information given to them and to make personal decisions on whether or not to participate in the study as determined by the study staff
  • consent given to participate in the study and consent form signed

Who cannot join

  • uterine sizing of beyond 12 weeks gestation
  • under age 18
  • unwilling or unable to return to clinic for follow-up visit.
  • unwilling to provide consent for participation in the study

About this study

Official title: Complication Rates of First-Trimester Manual Vacuum Aspiration Abortion Performed by Physicians and Midlevel Providers (MLP) in South Africa and Viet Nam: a Randomised, Controlled, Equivalence Trial.

There have been no studies in developing countries assessing the safety of midlevel providers (MLP) compared to physicians in performing first-trimester manual vacuum aspiration abortion. In South Africa and Viet Nam, MLP (midwives and physician assistants) are trained and accredited to perform first trimester abortions to increase women's access to safe abortion services. To assess the safety of abortions performed by midlevel provider compared to physicians, complication rates of first-trimester manual vacuum aspiration are compared between types of providers in the two countries. We test the null hypothesis that the two types of providers provide abortions equally safely.

Read the detailed description

Objective

There have been no studies in developing countries assessing the safety of midlevel providers (MLP) compared to physicians in performing first-trimester manual vacuum aspiration abortion. In South Africa and Viet Nam, MLP (midwives and physician assistants) are trained and accredited to perform first trimester abortions to increase women's access to safe abortion services. Complication rates of first-trimester manual vacuum aspiration are compared between types of providers in the two countries.

Methods:

A randomized, two-sided controlled equivalence trial was conducted to compare rates of abortion complications. An a priori margin of equivalence of 4.5% with 80% power and a 95% CI ( = 0.025) was used. Women presenting for an induced abortion at up to 12 weeks' gestation were randomly assigned to a physician or a midlevel provider for manual vacuum aspiration and followed-up 10 to 14 days later. Complications were recorded during the abortion procedure, before discharge from the clinic and at follow-up. The study included 25 providers and 2894 cases, 1160 in South Africa and 1734 in Viet Nam.

Results:

Complication rates were 1.4 per 100 for MLP and 0 for physicians in South Africa. In Viet Nam, complication rates were 1.2 per 100 for MLP and 1.1 per 100 for physicians. In both countries, complication rates satisfied the pre-determined statistical criteria for equivalence. In South Africa, the difference in complication rates for mid-level providers and physicians was 1.4 per 100 (CI=0.4 to 2.7). In Viet Nam, the difference in complication rates for mid-level providers and physicians was 0.1 per 100 (CI= -1.0 to 1.2). There were no major immediate complications. Delayed complications were retained products and infection.

Conclusions:

First trimester manual vacuum aspiration abortions performed by trained and accredited midlevel providers in South Africa and Viet Nam were comparable in safety to those performed by physicians. Given appropriate training, midlevel health care providers can provide first trimester manual vacuum aspiration abortions as safely as physician abortion providers.

Keywords
Abortion, Midlevel providers, South Africa, Viet Nam

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted31 Aug 2006 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2003
  3. Study completionJun 2004

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Defined population
Time perspective
Other
Enrolment
2,860 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00370487
Sponsor's protocol ID
A15324;A15325
Status last verified
Jun 2005
First submitted
30 Aug 2006
Last updated
6 Sep 2006
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Abortion, Induced, run by World Health Organization.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Sep 2006. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Sep 2006.

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