Trial Outcomes & Findings for Medication Abortion Via Pharmacy Dispensing (NCT NCT03320057)

NCT ID: NCT03320057

Last Updated: 2021-07-12

Results Overview

Number of pharmacists who objected to participate in dispensing Mifeprex at least once during the study period. This includes pharmacists who declined participation in the study training on medication abortion due to discomfort as well as pharmacists who participated in the training but declined to dispense Mifeprex.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

PHASE4

Target enrollment

326 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

End of the study, month 24

Results posted on

2021-07-12

Participant Flow

Patient Recruitment: Study recruitment began in July 2018 and was halted before reaching our desired sample size in March 2020 owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which limited the ability to have research staff in clinical facilities and lengthen patient visits for the purposes of research consent. Pharmacist Recruitment: We invited all pharmacists providing services at the study pharmacies to participate in the study and dispense mifepristone to study patients.

Research staff assessed 499 patients for eligibility, of whom 233 were ineligible (n=163) or declined to participate (n=70). We enrolled 266 patient participants, all of whom received the study medications from the pharmacy. We invited 72 pharmacists working at six study pharmacy sites to participate in the study, including training to dispense mifepristone and completion of the baseline survey.

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Pharmacist Providing Services at One of the Study Pharmacies During the Study
All pharmacists providing services at one of the study pharmacies during the study were invited to participate in the training on dispensing mifepristone and surveys. Only trained pharmacists were eligible to participate in the endline survey.
Overall Study
STARTED
266
60
Overall Study
Patient's Clinical Outcome Information Obtained
262
0
Overall Study
Received Pharmacist Training
0
56
Overall Study
Pharmacists Completed Baseline Survey
0
47
Overall Study
COMPLETED
260
43
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
6
17

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Pharmacist Providing Services at One of the Study Pharmacies During the Study
All pharmacists providing services at one of the study pharmacies during the study were invited to participate in the training on dispensing mifepristone and surveys. Only trained pharmacists were eligible to participate in the endline survey.
Overall Study
Lost to Follow-up
4
17
Overall Study
Did not take mifepristone or misoprostol
2
0

Baseline Characteristics

Medication Abortion Via Pharmacy Dispensing

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=260 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Age, Continuous
28 years
n=260 Participants
Age, Customized
Age, Categorical · 16-20 years
22 Participants
n=260 Participants
Age, Customized
Age, Categorical · 21-24 years
45 Participants
n=260 Participants
Age, Customized
Age, Categorical · 25-29 years
78 Participants
n=260 Participants
Age, Customized
Age, Categorical · 30-34 years
69 Participants
n=260 Participants
Age, Customized
Age, Categorical · 35-44 years
46 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Non-Hispanic White
99 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Non-Hispanic Black
29 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Hispanic
65 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Asian or Pacific Islander
45 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Alaska Native or Native American
2 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Other and mixed race and ethnicity
19 Participants
n=260 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race and ethnicity, Categorical · Missing
1 Participants
n=260 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
260 participants
n=260 Participants
Education, Categorical
High school or less
39 Participants
n=260 Participants
Education, Categorical
Some college or professional school
93 Participants
n=260 Participants
Education, Categorical
College degree
90 Participants
n=260 Participants
Education, Categorical
Advanced degree
28 Participants
n=260 Participants
Education, Categorical
Missing
10 Participants
n=260 Participants
Relationship status, Categorical
Neither married nor in a relationship
84 Participants
n=260 Participants
Relationship status, Categorical
Married
54 Participants
n=260 Participants
Relationship status, Categorical
Committed relationship
110 Participants
n=260 Participants
Relationship status, Categorical
Missing
12 Participants
n=260 Participants
Parity
Nulliparous
171 Participants
n=260 Participants
Parity
Parous
89 Participants
n=260 Participants
History of abortion, Categorical
None
165 Participants
n=260 Participants
History of abortion, Categorical
Previous medication abortion
48 Participants
n=260 Participants
History of abortion, Categorical
Previous procedural abortion only
40 Participants
n=260 Participants
History of abortion, Categorical
Missing
7 Participants
n=260 Participants
Gestational age at initial visit, Continuous
46 days
n=260 Participants
Gestational age at initial visit, Categorical
49 days or less
176 Participants
n=260 Participants
Gestational age at initial visit, Categorical
50-56 days
43 Participants
n=260 Participants
Gestational age at initial visit, Categorical
57-63 days
32 Participants
n=260 Participants
Gestational age at initial visit, Categorical
64-70 days
9 Participants
n=260 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: End of the study, month 24

Population: Pharmacists invited to participate in mifepristone dispensing

Number of pharmacists who objected to participate in dispensing Mifeprex at least once during the study period. This includes pharmacists who declined participation in the study training on medication abortion due to discomfort as well as pharmacists who participated in the training but declined to dispense Mifeprex.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=72 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Number of Pharmacists Who Objected to Participate in Dispensing Mifeprex
4 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: End of the study, month 24

Population: Pharmacists at study pharmacist who were trained to dispense mifepristone and completed an endline survey

Number of pharmacists who report being "somewhat satisfied" or "very satisfied" when asked "Overall, how satisfied are you with mifepristone dispensing at your pharmacy?" in endline survey

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=43 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Number of Pharmacists Who Report Being Satisfied With Pharmacy Dispensing of Mifeprex
36 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Day 2 following initial medication abortion visit

Population: Patient participants who completed Day 2 survey following initial medication abortion visit

Number of participants who report being "somewhat satisfied" or "very satisfied" when asked "Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience at the pharmacy when you got the abortion pill?"

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=252 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Number of Participants Who Report Being Satisfied With Obtaining Mifeprex in the Pharmacy
230 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit

Population: Patient participants with abortion outcome information

Number of participants who report that their "abortion is now complete and they are no longer pregnant" and who did not "end up having a suction procedure (or vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage procedure) to complete the abortion"

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=260 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Number of Participants With a Complete Abortion With Medication Alone and Who do Not Require a Surgical Procedure to Complete the Abortion
243 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit

Population: Patients with follow-up data from clinical data or survey responses

Number of participants who had a medical problem that required them to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=260 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Number of Participants With an Adverse Event
4 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Before and after the intervention, approximately month 1 and month 18 of the study to assess differences in knowledge

Population: We compared knowledge scores for pharmacists at baseline and endline. We excluded from the baseline knowledge analyses four respondents who participated in the study training on medication abortion prior to taking the baseline survey and one person from the overall knowledge analyses because they only completed four items.

Difference in pharmacists' mean knowledge score related to medication abortion. Knowledge scores were based on a set of 15 statements or questions related to medication abortion for which respondents selected answer(s) from multiple choice response options. Topics included medication abortion dosing regimen, biological processes during medication abortion, clinical outcomes, and federal and state policies relating to medication abortion. For pharmacists who had completed at least 50% of the items, we calculated their average number of correct responses among completed items, as a proportion of correct answers, ranging from 0-1, with 1 meaning 100% correct. All questions or statements included an "I don't know" response option, which we coded as incorrect. Higher scores mean a higher level of knowledge.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=53 Participants
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Difference in Pharmacists' Mean Knowledge Score Related to Medication Abortion
Baseline knowledge score
0.51 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.21
Difference in Pharmacists' Mean Knowledge Score Related to Medication Abortion
Endline knowledge score
0.64 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.24

Adverse Events

Medication Abortion Patients

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 4 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Pharmacists

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure
Medication Abortion Patients
n=260 participants at risk
Oral mifepristone 200 mg, followed by misoprostol 800 mcg administered buccally (at 24-48 hours following mifepristone) or vaginally (as soon as 6 hours following mifepristone) Mifepristone: Patients will receive Mifeprex® (mifepristone) by pharmacy rather than standard care at clinic visit
Pharmacists
n=60 participants at risk
Pharmacists providing services at one of the study pharmacies during the study and consenting to training
General disorders
Dehydration
0.38%
1/260 • Number of events 1 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
0.00%
0/60 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
Reproductive system and breast disorders
Heavy uterine bleeding
0.38%
1/260 • Number of events 1 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
0.00%
0/60 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
Reproductive system and breast disorders
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
0.38%
1/260 • Number of events 1 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
0.00%
0/60 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Swelling in cheeks
0.38%
1/260 • Number of events 1 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.
0.00%
0/60 • Patients: Up to 6 weeks after initial visit Pharmacists: study duration including training, mifepristone dispensing, survey data collection (approximately 24 months)
Patients: A medical problem that required patients to go to the hospital, emergency department or a doctor's office (other than regularly scheduled follow-up visit) since receiving the abortion pill. Pharmacists: Any untoward/unfavorable medical occurrence, including any abnormal sign, symptom, or disease, temporally associated with participation in training, mifepristone dispensing, or survey data collection, whether or not considered related to their participation in the research.

Additional Information

Shelly Kaller

University of California San Francisco

Phone: 510-986-8945

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place