Definitions, measurement, and indicator selection for quality of care in abortion

Abstract Little consensus exists about how to measure quality of care in abortion. Our purpose is to: 1) provide common language for healthcare quality definitions, frameworks, and measurement; 2) synthesize literature about quality measurement in abortion; and 3) present criteria for quality metric development. Quality includes effectiveness, patient centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity of care. Information about structure, process, and outcomes of care are used to measure quality. We do not have good evidence about expected population-level health and behavioral outcomes associated with improving abortion service quality. Abortion patients overwhelmingly report high satisfaction with services, but it is not clear their satisfaction indicates high quality care. Guidance exists for quality metric selection; measures must focus on priority topics, be scientifically sound, and feasible. Technical quality standards and clinical guidelines exist, but we lack a standard set of quality metrics. Partners in the Abortion Service Quality (ASQ) initiative ( https://asq-initiative.org/ ) are collaborating to develop the first-ever global standard for measuring abortion service quality in low- and middle-income countries, both in and out of health care facilities. Standardized and validated quality metrics would move our field forward and contribute to quality improvement activities and ultimately, to improved health outcomes for women and families. Implications. We define quality of health care, synthesize the evidence about quality of care in abortion, and advocate for standardized and validated quality metrics to improve health outcomes for women.