RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Providing experiential information on early medical abortion: a qualitative evaluation of an animated personal account, Lara’s Story JF Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care JO J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP jfprhc-2016-101641 DO 10.1136/jfprhc-2016-101641 A1 Sarah Sherman A1 Jeni Harden A1 Dawn Cattanach A1 Sharon T Cameron YR 2017 UL http://jfprhc.bmj.com/content/early/2017/07/08/jfprhc-2016-101641.abstract AB Background An animated film has been created to provide information to women requesting early medical abortion (EMA). The 9 min film, Lara’s Story, was created using one woman’s personal account of her experience. This study evaluated the views of women who had recently undergone EMA on the film and its potential usefulness in providing experiential information to women requesting EMA.Method Women who had undergone EMA within the past month were recruited. They were shown the film and interviewed in a semi-structured style. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. They were analysed using cross-sectional indexing and thematic analysis with an inductive approach.Results 13 women were interviewed. All reported that the film gave a realistic account of EMA and most agreed that they would have wanted to watch it before EMA had it been available. Some said that it might help women who were struggling with decision-making with regard to EMA and all said that there should be unrestricted access to the film from the website of the abortion service. The women commented that the animated style of the film allowed all groups of women to relate to the story. Some commented that Lara’s experience of pain, bleeding and side effects such as nausea differed from their own and therefore felt that it would be useful to make more than one woman’s account available.Conclusion The availability of animated audiovisual films recounting women’s experiences of EMA might be a valuable adjunct to clinical information for women seeking EMA.