A Comprehensive Look at Abortion Care Services in Trinidad and Tobago- a mixed methods approach

A Comprehensive Look at Abortion Care Services in Trinidad and Tobago- a mixed methods approach | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Comprehensive Look at Abortion Care Services in Trinidad and Tobago- a mixed methods approach Ayanna Alexander, Diedron Lewis, Roger McLean, Dona DaCosta Martinez, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3914185/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: In 2014 60% of the abortions carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean were classified as less safe and at least 10% of all maternal deaths were due to unsafe abortion. Between 2010-2014 abortion rates in the Caribbean were estimated to be 59 per 1000 women of reproductive age. There is no current country specific published data on abortion in Trinidad and Tobago and therefore a better understanding of the services and the current environment surrounding abortion-related services available in the public health systems was needed. Methods: A situational assessment, using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago. The study was done in simultaneous phases: 1) In-depth interviews with key stakeholders at institutions where abortion care is conducted 2) A review of laws, policies and programs related to abortion; and 3) Collection of information on abortion services from health facilities and women’s health advocates. Results: In Trinidad and Tobago, the English common laws provide a defence for physicians who provide a termination of pregnancy when the physical or mental health of the mother is at risk. There are no national comprehensive policy or guidelines that regulate abortion and thus the legislation and ethical code are subject to interpretation. Medical management of abortion is done using misoprostol alone regimens and surgical management is confined to dilatation and curettage. The hospitals are generally well equipped but some upgrades are necessary. WHO’s recommendations that need to be implemented mainly focus on implementation of medical abortion standard using mifepristone and misoprostol regimens, MVA and improvement in contraceptive care. A comprehensive national guide is needed to ensure consistency quality of care throughout the islands. Conclusions: Abortion in Trinidad and Tobago is still perceived differently by varying groups of persons in the health sector and by the public. In the short term, a comprehensive guide should be developed that is accessible and understood by members of the health sector for consistency and standardization of care across the islands. Abortion Incomplete abortion care Legal framework Trinidad and Tobago Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files AComprehensiveLookatAbortionCareServicesinTrinidadandTobagoamixedmethodsapproachBMCversionSupplementalmaterials.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3914185","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":277913683,"identity":"424cfa19-07ab-4a03-8bc3-9fd1c3709e2b","order_by":0,"name":"Ayanna 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Legal framework, Trinidad and Tobago","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3914185/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3914185/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground:\u003c/strong\u003e In 2014 60% of the abortions carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean were classified as less safe and at least 10% of all maternal deaths were due to unsafe abortion. Between 2010-2014 abortion rates in the Caribbean were estimated to be 59 per 1000 women of reproductive age. There is no current country specific published data on abortion in Trinidad and Tobago and therefore a better understanding of the services and the current environment surrounding abortion-related services available in the public health systems was needed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e A situational assessment, using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago. The study was done in simultaneous phases: 1) In-depth interviews with key stakeholders at institutions where abortion care is conducted 2) A review of laws, policies and programs related to abortion; and 3) Collection of information on abortion services from health facilities and women’s health advocates.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e In Trinidad and Tobago, the English common laws provide a defence for physicians who provide a termination of pregnancy when the physical or mental health of the mother is at risk. There are no national comprehensive policy or guidelines that regulate abortion and thus the legislation and ethical code are subject to interpretation. Medical management of abortion is done using misoprostol alone regimens and surgical management is confined to dilatation and curettage. The hospitals are generally well equipped but some upgrades are necessary. 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In the short term, a comprehensive guide should be developed that is accessible and understood by members of the health sector for consistency and standardization of care across the islands.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A Comprehensive Look at Abortion Care Services in Trinidad and Tobago- a mixed methods approach","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-03-11 03:41:11","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3914185/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9729e72a-0b9d-4372-a23f-de20757229d5","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 11th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-21T00:39:02+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-03-11 03:41:11","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3914185","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3914185","identity":"rs-3914185","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}