Society of Family Planning Committee Statement: Telemedicine in family planning care part 1 - Background and overarching principles.

Telemedicine is an effective modality for remote family planning care delivery. Telemedicine increases reach, reduces barriers to care, and facilitates person-centered care. As the demand for telemedicine increases, evidence-based guidance is crucial for optimal practice. This clinical guidance series offers evidence-informed, person-centered, and equity-driven recommendations to enhance telemedicine delivery of contraceptive services and medication abortion in the US. Providing care via telemedicine may not be for everyone, and thus, clinicians should take a person-centered approach to ensure telemedicine meets the needs of the person receiving care. Ensuring that telemedicine remains accessible, regardless of whether a person also requires in-person clinical services, is essential to person-centered family planning care. Telemedicine family planning services should be integrated across practice settings and codesigned with persons from marginalized communities to ensure services are linguistically appropriate, equitable, and accessible. Clinicians should engage in implementation and advocacy efforts that combat health, digital, and structural inequities contributing to disparities in telemedicine family planning care access. Telemedicine family planning care should address the privacy and confidentiality of the person receiving care. Telemedicine family planning care clinicians should be familiar with their state, regional, and institutional laws or regulations regarding abortion care and, more broadly, telemedicine before providing care. Where uncertainty exists, clinicians should consult a lawyer experienced in telemedicine and abortion care. The companion documents, Society of Family Planning Clinical Recommendation: Telemedicine for abortion and contraception part 2 - Contraception and Society of Family Planning Clinical Recommendation: Telemedicine for abortion and contraception part 3 - Abortion, build upon this document and focus on actionable clinical recommendations.