Integrating medical abortion into a residency practice

While changing residency services and curricula is difficult under the best of circumstances, adding something as controversial as medical abortion can provoke seemingly insurmountable resistance. This paper describes an innovative approach to adding medical abortion services. We first surveyed staff, faculty, residents, and colleagues to examine their reservations. These concerns were addressed in a structured manner, using a range of educational forums. While residents' participation in the service was voluntary, all patients were assured access to medical abortion.