A new HRP (the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction) learning programme, available as a WHO Academy course supports health workers providing abortion care to do so safely, respectfully and with quality. The new four-part learning programme on comprehensive abortion care brings key elements of comprehensive abortion care together in one coherent learning pathway.
HRP's Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) learning program is structured into four separate but complementary courses: medical abortion, surgical abortion, post‑abortion care, and human rights integration in comprehensive abortion care. The courses are interactive, with learning broken into modules and short knowledge checks, so learners can work through decision points the same way they face them in practice.
"Each course addresses a distinct element of care. For health workers, the learning strengthens everyday clinical judgement; from assessing gestational age and eligibility, to choosing appropriate care pathways, to recognizing when follow‑up or referral is needed," said Antonella Lavelanet, medical officer at HRP. "Health workers gain a clearer understanding of how decisions made early in care affect outcomes later."
Health workers gain a clearer understanding of how decisions made early in care affect outcomes later.
Through the courses, learners engage with situations that mirror real consultations. This strengthens skills in explaining options, supporting informed choice and responding to questions with clarity and respect. The learning also supports safer, more consistent practice.
By addressing medical abortion, surgical abortion and post‑abortion care in sequence, the courses reinforce standards from the WHO Abortion Care Guideline that apply across methods and services.
Health workers develop a shared understanding of quality care and feel more empowered to provide such quality care, even in challenging settings.
Medical abortion
The medical abortion course begins with core clinical and counselling modules that are relevant across all abortion care courses. These foundational modules cover information‑giving, counselling and shared decision‑making, history taking, physical examination, and gestational age and eligibility assessment.
It then further covers the clinical foundations of medical abortion, including the medications used and their mechanisms of action, followed by detailed guidance on preparation, eligibility assessment, and counselling before the procedure. The course then focuses on medical abortion regimens by gestational age and clinical indication, administration of medicines, pain management, follow‑up care and recognition of complications. It also addresses the roles of health workers, different service delivery models, and key health‑system considerations to support quality abortion care.
Surgical abortion
The surgical abortion course focuses on the core of procedural care and the preparation that protects safety and quality. It covers fundamentals, pre‑procedure preparation, and the procedure itself. The emphasis stays on what makes services reliable: readiness, appropriate preparation, and a clear understanding of what quality care involves before, during and immediately after a procedure.
Post-abortion care
The post‑abortion care course addresses what happens when women present after an abortion, including whether they arrive to confirm abortion completion or with complications or to access contraception. It includes the foundations of post‑abortion care, a focused look at abortion complications and follow‑up care, including post‑abortion contraception. This part of the sequence matters because it is the part of the pathway that too often gets treated as secondary.
Human rights integration in comprehensive abortion care
The human rights integration in comprehensive abortion care course , developed in collaboration with UNFPA, brings the full pathway into view. It begins with fundamentals of human rights and then moves into the right to health and rights‑based approaches to sexual and reproductive health. It then applies human rights principles directly to comprehensive abortion care. This course connects to the questions providers and programme managers confront every day: what respectful care looks like, what non‑discrimination requires in practice, how privacy is protected, how decisions are supported, and what accountability means inside a health system.
Taken together, the four courses create a shared foundation for comprehensive abortion care. By offering accessible, evidence-based training, this programme helps providers stay up to date with evidence-based guidance. It contributes to more consistent practices, improved care seekers' experiences, and stronger health systems.
