Intrauterine contraception in Saint Louis: a survey of obstetrician and gynecologists' knowledge and attitudes.
BACKGROUND
Many obstacles to intrauterine contraception (IUC) use exist, including provider and patient misinformation, high upfront cost and clinician practice patterns. The aim of our study was to investigate knowledge and attitudes about IUC among obstetricians and gynecologists in the area of Saint Louis.


METHODS
We mailed a self-administered, anonymous survey to 250 clinicians who provide obstetric and gynecologic care in Saint Louis City and County which included questions about demographics, training, family planning visits and intrauterine contraceptive knowledge and use.


RESULTS
The overall survey response rate among eligible clinicians was 73.7%. Clinicians who had recently finished training or saw higher numbers of contraceptive patients per week were more likely to insert IUC than clinicians who completed training prior to 1989 or saw fewer contraceptive patients. Several misconceptions among clinicians were identified, including an association between intrauterine contraceptives and an elevated risk of pelvic inflammatory disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Physician misconceptions about the risks of IUC continue to occur. Improved clinician education is greatly needed to facilitate the use of these highly effective, long-acting, reversible methods of contraception.
Madden
Tessa
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Box 8219, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA. maddent@wustl.edu
Allsworth
Jenifer E
JE
Hladky
Katherine J
KJ
Secura
Gina M
GM
Peipert
Jeffrey F
JF
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007434:Intrauterine Devices; D008297:Male; D008923:Missouri; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010820:Physicians; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires