Contraception & Abortion in BC: Experience guiding research guiding care

Research co-leads:

Research user co-lead:

  • Cheryl Davis
    BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre

Team members (UBC):

  • Julianne Burke
  • Julianne Busby
  • Brigid Delany
  • Courtney Devane
  • Roopan Gill
  • Genevieve Leduc-Robert
  • Sarah Munro
  • Nevena Rebic
  • Emma Rossnagal

WHY: Equitable access to abortion care is a problem in BC, particularly for disadvantaged and rural populations. Rapid changes in regulations on the provision of medical abortion and the recent roll out of a program improving access to contraception present important and timely opportunities to better meet BC’s needs. At this exciting juncture, BC Women’s, in partnership with UBC’s Contraception & Abortion Research Team (CART), and a range of collaborators, invite health professionals, health administrators and system leaders to prepare for key opportunities and to identify challenges and solution strategies in primary care and rural and remote family planning health services.

This meeting will build on four successful BCW-CART meetings (2009, 2011, 2014 & 2016) convening a wide range of provincial collaborators. The many changes in regulations and stakeholder experiences with programs introduced since the 2016 meeting indicate that now is an ideal time to reconvene. Understanding stakeholder perspectives on what is needed, what is working, what is not, and where research is needed, is key to improving access. The aim is to examine BC-specific opportunities for provision of medical abortion and post-abortion contraception, to improve equitable access to primary care provision of primary care family planning health services in BC, particularly throughout rural and remote areas.

WHAT: A one-day meeting held at BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre

Top speakers will share the latest evidence, and BC-specific health system and health service changes, related to medical abortion and to the new SMART post-abortion contraception program. Sessions will engage participant input to emphasize the opportunities and processes specific to BC and to understand a range of perspectives and the challenges each stakeholder faces in their role.

Interactive audience-panel discussions will engage interdisciplinary invitees including key knowledge users, patient groups and health system leaders, administrators and a range of health professionals. Facilitated discussion will explore health system improvement options to ensure women in BC have equitable access to high quality family planning services.

WHO: This meeting will be convene perinatal service leads from all health authorities, hospital and clinic women’s health service administrators, public health and community services related to family planning, government leaders in public health, and urban and rural health professionals (physicians, NPs, nurses, midwives) working with those seeking abortion.

WHEN: Friday March 9, 2018  |  8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Shaughnessy Auditorium, BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre, Vancouver