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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 2000 Jul;90(7):1141–1144. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.7.1141

Self-reports of induced abortion: an empathetic setting can improve the quality of data.

V Rasch 1, H Muhammad 1, E Urassa 1, S Bergström 1
PMCID: PMC1446311  PMID: 10897196

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study estimated the proportion of incomplete abortions that are induced in hospital-based settings in Tanzania. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in 2 phases at 3 hospitals in Tanzania. Phase 1 included 302 patients with a diagnosis of incomplete abortion, and phase 2 included 823 such patients. RESULTS: In phase 1, in which cases were classified by clinical criteria and information from the patient, 3.9% to 16.1% of the cases were classified as induced abortion. In phase 2, in which the structured interview was changed to an empathetic dialogue and previously used clinical criteria were omitted, 30.9% to 60.0% of the cases were classified as induced abortion. CONCLUSIONS: An empathetic dialogue improves the quality of data collected among women with induced abortion.

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Selected References

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