 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Marji Gold, MD and Tanya Panton, MD. Social Medicine Residency in Urban Family Medicine, Montefiore Family Health Center, 3544 Jerome Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467
Unintended pregnancy is stressful for women and their families/partners. In the US, 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, and 50% of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion. Although Emergency Contraception (EC) can prevent up to 85-90% of pregnancies from contraceptive accidents or failures, it is not widely prescribed by providers or requested by patients.
This qualitative study was designed to identify barriers to the prescription and use of EC. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 women patients and 24 family physicians, as well as with a family nurse practitioner in the practice.
In our analysis, we found that only a small minority of patients had heard of EC, and very few had accurate or detailed knowledge of how it worked or when to use it. Most women said they would like their physician to initiate a discussion of EC. Most physicians had heard of EC, but very few discussed it with their patients on a regular basis, and almost none prescribed it proactively. Many had concerns about the safety of the medications, and also about the risk of STD’s with reliance on EC.
During this presentation, we will present the data and explore the clinical and policy implications of our findings.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.