Increases in Contraception Access through Patient-Centered Care shown in New Journal Article
February 14th, 2022 | research
Patient-centered services remove barriers and ultimately increase access to contraception, as highlighted in a new article published in Elsevier Contraception.
Despite the wide range of birth control options available in the United States, significant economic, personal, logistic, and protocol barriers prevent women from accessing them. Some have high upfront costs or aren’t available at certain sites, and requirements for multiple visits disproportionately hinder the ability of low-income women and women of color to use them. In addition, widespread distrust of the health care system as a whole, particularly among women of color, undermines people’s trust and willingness to visit a health care provider for their contraception needs.
The authors of the article, including JSI senior consultants Jennifer Kawatu, Michele Clark, Katie Saul, and Katie DeAngelis Quimby, attempted to increase access to the full range of contraceptive methods in primary care, post-abortion, and immediate postpartum settings in New York City. They convened two learning collaboratives with participants from 40 sites to discuss and implement four evidence-informed recommendations to increase contraceptive access: stocking all FDA-approved contraceptive methods; routinely assessing reproductive goals and providing patient-centered counseling; developing systems for the provision of contraception in one visit; and providing diverse payment options to reduce cost as a barrier.
Ninety-five percent of the participating sites implemented all four of these recommendations, increasing contraceptive access across all fronts. The focus was on increasing access, not on increasing the use of any particular method. However, since there is no way to directly measure access, the authors measured the percent of patients receiving a method. Patients who chose and received a highly or moderately effective method increased from 22% to 38% in primary care, and from 0 to 17% in the postpartum period. Major factors facilitating the implementation of the recommendations for increased access included the involvement of interdisciplinary teams and the use of peer champions.
