Empirical Measurement of Access to Abortion Care Using the Example of Great Britain: A Critical Analysis of the Methods

Abstract

Background: Access to safe abortion is not guaranteed in many parts of the world, nor is there a standardized method to measure access to abortion care. Objective: The present study aimed to analyse how selected studies in the UK measure access to abortion. This is intended to facilitate the following researchers to operationalize access, thus facilitating the collection of scientific data on access and, overall, creating the possibility to improve access to abortion care. Methods: Through a systematic literature review, ten studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Differences between the studies with regards to the coding categories setting, participants, methods, dimensions of access, and indicators were compared. Advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches and methods to record access to abortions were discussed. Results: Differences between the studies were found in all coding categories. The various approaches to investigate access to abortion care led to differences in the data and the results, limiting their comparability and generalizability. Conclusion: There is a high heterogeneity between the studies and how they measure access to abortion care. Further research is needed to operationalize access and develop a common framework.