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Rongkapich R, Poolkumlung R, Sinthuchai N, Limsirorat P, Chiemchaisri N, Santibenchakul S, Jaisamrarn U. Knowledge, attitude, and intended practice of abortion among pharmacy students in Thailand after the amendment of the Thai Abortion Law. BMC Med Educ 2023; 23:533. [PMID: 37496054 PMCID: PMC10373229 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04526-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The recently amended Thai abortion law allows pregnant women to undergo abortions up to the gestational age of 12 weeks. Medical abortion is significant because it has revolutionized access to safe abortion care-abortion medicine can now be safely and effectively administered outside of a healthcare facility to women in early pregnancy. This contribution supports the pharmacists' role in interprofessional safe abortion teamwork. Adequate knowledge of the current laws regarding safe abortion services will increase pharmacists' competence in providing services. However, safe abortions as a subject have not been formally incorporated into the curriculum for Thai pharmacy students. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and intended practice of fifth-year pharmacy students at Chulalongkorn University. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronic self-administered questionnaire adapted from previously published studies to evaluate participants' knowledge of the recently amended Thai abortion law, attitude toward abortion, and intended practices. The invitations were sent to all fifth-year pharmacy students at Chulalongkorn University. RESULTS Among all invitations sent, 104/150 (69.3%) participants responded to the survey. Only a third of the participants (31.7%) had good knowledge scores. Based on five questions regarding the gestational age limit for legal abortion, most participants (52.7%) answered questions incorrectly. Although more than half of the participants (52.5%) disagreed with two pro-choice statements, an overwhelming majority (87.5%) agreed that abortion was a woman's right. Safe abortion services were mostly agreed upon with serious fetal defects (91.9%), non-HIV maternal health conditions (82.2%), and sexual assaults (77.4%). A positive attitude toward abortion affects the intention to perform an abortion under socioeconomic conditions. CONCLUSION Most participants lacked knowledge on the amended abortion law, especially on the gestational limits of abortion. Participants with favorable attitudes toward abortion tended to be more liberal regarding safe abortion services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratthapong Rongkapich
- Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
| | - Rada Poolkumlung
- Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
| | - Natchanika Sinthuchai
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA USA
| | - Phobsan Limsirorat
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phaya Thai Rd, Wang Mai District, Pathum Wan, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
| | - Nattaporn Chiemchaisri
- Department of pharmacy, King Chulalongkorn memorial hospital, 1873 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
| | - Somsook Santibenchakul
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, 1873 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
| | - Unnop Jaisamrarn
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Rama IV Rd, Pathum Wan, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
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