PRP164: Survey of providers and staff to determine barriers in contraceptive care access
Kara McClain, RN
Abstract
Context: Long acting reversible contraception (LARC) has been shown to provide an effective and cost-efficient method to decrease the number of unintended pregnancies in the United States. An abundance of literature exists identifying patient barriers to LARC access. However, there remains a disparity in contraceptive access to the full range of methods for patients who express interest. Latterman family health center (LFHC) serves a diverse, young population of women of childbearing age in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties of Pennsylvania. Despite addressing initial identified patient barriers to LARC access, preliminary patient data from our health centers demonstrates that gaps remain in patient access and use of contraception. Therefore, understanding the specific challenges faced by care providers and health center staff has the potential to fill in critical gaps in our understanding of barriers to LARC access. Objective: To conduct a survey of care providers and health center staff at LFHC, in order to determine barriers to the efficient provision of contraception in the primary care setting. Study Design: Anonymous online survey Dataset: Outpatient clinic Population studied: Eligibility criteria include all clinicians and staff, of any gender and training level who are actively participating in patient care as employees of LFHC. Participants that indicate they are not actively involved in maternal care and contraception will be excluded from the study results. Outcome Measures: The responses to the anonymous Qualtrics survey will be combined and analyzed via standard descriptive statistical methods in aggregate form. Outcomes to be reported: Anticipated survey responses will collect provider demographics, as well as prior experience in maternal care and contraception. Survey respondents will be assessed based on the following categories: perception/bias, observation, and knowledge. Anticipated results: Survey results identifying the greatest barriers at LFHC will be utilized to change current workflow. Ultimately, these findings will be applied to develop a contraceptive toolkit including suggested steps and resources for care providers at LFHC to enhance patient access to the family planning methods of their choice. Results from this survey will also be used in the development of a broadly applicable survey tool for use at other programs.