Reproductive health counseling at pregnancy testing: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To pilot brief reproductive health counseling for women obtaining pregnancy testing in a managed-care setting who did not desire pregnancy.


METHODS
Women received counseling, access to contraception and a booster call at 2 weeks. Changes in contraceptive behavior were evaluated.


RESULTS
Of 85 women who completed counseling, 58 (68%) completed follow-up. Participants reported that counseling was useful at baseline (94%) and follow-up (83%). The staff found the intervention important (100%) and implementation feasible (100%). Forty-one percent of participants improved their use of contraception (from no use or from less effective use to more effective use). Twenty-nine percent continued highly effective use and 9% recessed from highly effective use. Of 22 participants with risk of sexually transmitted disease, 3 (14%) began using condoms consistently, while 1 (5%) continued using condoms consistently.


CONCLUSIONS
Counseling at pregnancy testing was well accepted by the staff and participants. Observed behavioral changes suggest that this intervention may be effective in increasing effective use of contraception.
Boise
Richard
R
Adolescent Medicine, The Permanente Medical Group, 3400 Delta Fair Boulevard, Antioch, CA, USA. Richard.Boise@kp.org
Petersen
Ruth
R
Curtis
Kathryn M
KM
Aalborg
Annette
A
Yoshida
Cathleen K
CK
Cabral
Rebecca
R
Ballentine
Jennifer M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003376:Counseling; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011258:Pregnancy Tests; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires