Objective: To determine the potential cost savings resulting from the introduction of routine early medical abortion at home by telemedicine in the United Kingdom.
Design: A cost-effectiveness analysis
Setting: United Kingdom
Population: Women in 2020 undergoing early medical abortion provided by three independent abortion providers and two NHS abortion clinics.
Methods: Computation of the costs of each abortion procedure and of managing failed or incomplete abortion and haemorrhage requiring blood transfusion.
Outcome measures: Cost savings (Pound Sterling)
Results: Overall estimated cost savings are 15.80 per abortion undertaken by independent abortion providers representing a saving to the NHS of over 3 million per year. Limited data from NHS services resulted in an estimated average saving of 188.84 per abortion.
Conclusions: Were telemedicine EMA to become routine, an increase in the number of women eligible for medical rather than surgical abortion, and a reduction in adverse events resulting from earlier abortion could result in significant cost-savings.
Early medical abortion by telemedicine in the United Kingdom: A cost-effectiveness analysis
