Client-provider communication in postabortion care.

International Family Planning Perspectives Many medical workers who treat women experiencing complications of induced or spontaneous abortion readily acknowledge that such women need “counseling,” but they often view counseling as a nonmedical function requiring specific training, a specially designated time apart from the provision of other postabortion services and a separate, private facility. Thus, providers of postabortion care often believe that counseling is not one of their job responsibilities and that they lack the training and facilities to do it. However, if counseling is defined as two-way communication conducted to help clients make decisions and to deal with their feelings about their circumstances,1 providers should routinely integrate counseling into all aspects of postabortion care. Such communication can help providers assess the client’s needs and her feelings about her situation, and can help facilitate the client’s decision-making following the procedure. Postabortion counseling can also provide a client with information and emotional support that can help make the procedure more comfortable for her and easier for the provider.