Perceptions of women's infertility: what do physicians see?
OBJECTIVE
To assess physicians' awareness of the infertility risk associated with race, age, and education, and to elicit their clinical management recommendations for a hypothetical patient.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Surveys were mailed to 1,000 randomly selected primary care physicians in the state of Michigan.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Self-reported questionnaire asking the relative prevalence of infertility among women based on race, education, and age. Physicians were also asked what interventions they would recommend for one of four hypothetical female infertility patients who were either European American or African American and either a working professional or receiving Medicaid.


RESULTS
Although most physicians did not correctly identify the associations between age, race, and socioeconomic status and women's infertility, their suggested clinical interventions did not vary based on a hypothetical patient's race or socioeconomic status. Female physicians, obstetrician/gynecologists, and physicians with more infertility experience or who had seen more infertile patients recommended more components of a model standard of care.


CONCLUSIONS
A questionnaire using a hypothetical patient model suggests that primary care physicians may not be sufficiently aware of the infertility risk of African American women and women with lower socioeconomic status to ensure that women in need of services are identified.
Ceballo
Rosario
R
University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. rosarioc@umich.edu
Abbey
Antonia
A
Schooler
Deborah
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors