WIP 59 - Providing Care for Pregnant Patients in Texas Post-Dobbs: A Qualitative Study of Pediatric Residents' Experiences and Needs

Publication Number: WIP 59.7628

Kyrra Engle, Baylor College of Medicine, HOUSTON, TX, United States; Sreya Rahman, Baylor College of Medicine, The Woodlands, TX, United States; Alexis Bailey, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Zena Karagoli, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Deborah Babalola, Baylor College of Medicine, Richmond, TX, United States; Lilly Snellman, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Jennifer Sherwood, amfAR The Foundation for AIDS Research, Washington DC, DC, United States; Margaret Wood, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States

Background: In the year following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to remove federal protection for abortions, new and unprecedented laws were passed related to pregnancy in Texas and elsewhere. Pediatric residents are often the first point of contact for pregnant adolescents and therefore vital to ensuring these patients receive high-quality care. However, limited data exist on the impact of these laws on pediatric residents and the care they provide to pregnant patients.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the impact of the new laws restricting abortion on pediatric residents' experience caring for pregnant patients in Texas, and to explore residents' recommendations for educational interventions to meet their needs in this new political landscape.

Design/Methods: This is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews of 2nd- and 3rd-year pediatric residents working at an urban, tertiary care center in Texas. Following IRB approval, recruitment was initiated in August 2024 and is ongoing. Recruitment uses a stratified random sampling approach to enroll 10 participants from each year of the pediatric residency program. Interviews are conducted virtually by trained study investigators, recorded, and transcribed. Interview topics include residents' experience caring for pregnant patients, prior training related to pregnancy options counseling, perceptions and knowledge of policies governing care for pregnant patients, and suggestions for additional training and program improvement. To date, 12 interviews have been completed. Interviews will be completed by January 2025 and will be analyzed using an inductive coding approach to generate codes, themes, and recommendations by March 2025. Results will inform resident curricula to better prepare trainees to work in abortion-restricted environments and minimize further restrictions on patients' access to reproductive health services.