Women's Perspectives on Reproductive Health Services in Primary Care. 2020

Meredith G Manze, and Diana R Romero, and Annie Sumberg, and Monica Gagnon, and Lynn Roberts, and Heidi Jones
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health.

Primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly offering reproductive health (RH) services to help address patients' unmet contraceptive needs and improve pregnancy outcomes. We sought to understand patient perspectives on receipt of RH services in primary care settings. We used a purposeful stratified sampling approach to recruit women aged 21 to 40 years into focus groups (FGs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs). We held all four FGs in two New York City neighborhoods and all 18 IDIs in two upstate NY suburban/rural neighborhoods (each with half of the neighborhoods above and below the median county income in each setting type). We explored participants' preferences for RH services from PCPs, including their feelings about being asked about pregnancy intentions. We also asked their opinions on three distinct pregnancy intention screening and reproductive health needs assessment questions. Data analysis involved an iterative process of excerpt coding and interpretive analysis to identify key themes. We conducted four FGs and 18 IDIs with a total of 39 women. Participants were receptive to the availability of RH services in primary care and the benefits to streamlining this care, provided clinicians approach these services in a manner that respects patient autonomy and reproductive desires. They discussed a lack of preconception care counseling and concerns about primary care providers' training and/or comfort with RH, as well as time spent with patients. Participants had the most positive response to the proposed question "Can I help you with any reproductive health services today, such as birth control or planning for a healthy pregnancy?" based on its open-endedness, inclusiveness, and promotion of reproductive autonomy. The findings of this study support the continued expansion of RH services in primary care settings. Future research should test the preferred RH service needs question to understand how it may affect service delivery, patient satisfaction, reproductive autonomy, as well as unmet contraceptive need and indicators of maternal and child health.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011320 Primary Health Care Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192) Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D003267 Contraception Prevention of CONCEPTION by blocking fertility temporarily, or permanently (STERILIZATION, REPRODUCTIVE). Common means of reversible contraception include NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING METHODS; CONTRACEPTIVE AGENTS; or CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES. Birth Control,Contraceptive Methods,Female Contraception,Fertility Control,Inhibition of Fertilization,Male Contraception,Contraception, Female,Contraception, Male,Contraceptions, Female,Contraceptions, Male,Contraceptive Method,Female Contraceptions,Fertilization Inhibition,Male Contraceptions
D003270 Contraceptive Agents Chemical substances that prevent or reduce the probability of CONCEPTION. Contraceptive,Contraceptive Effect,Contraceptive Effects,Contraceptives,Agents, Contraceptive,Effect, Contraceptive,Effects, Contraceptive
D005193 Family Planning Services Health care programs or services designed to assist individuals in the planning of family size. Various methods of CONTRACEPTION can be used to control the number and timing of childbirths. Family Planning,Family Planning Programs,Planned Pregnancy,Pregnancy, Planned,Family Planning Program,Family Planning Service,Planned Pregnancies,Planning Service, Family,Planning Services, Family,Pregnancies, Planned,Program, Family Planning,Programs, Family Planning,Service, Family Planning,Services, Family Planning
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016387 Women's Health The concept covering the physical and mental conditions of women. Woman's Health,Womens Health,Health, Woman's,Health, Women's,Health, Womens
D060728 Reproductive Health The state of the REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM when functioning optimally without evidence of disease, disorders, or deficiencies. Health, Reproductive

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