Provider knowledge, attitudes, and treatment preferences for early pregnancy failure.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to describe health care provider knowledge, attitudes, and treatment preferences for early pregnancy failure (EPF).


METHODS
We surveyed 976 obstetrician/gynecologists, midwives, and family medicine practitioners on their knowledge and attitudes toward treatment options for EPF, and barriers to adopting misoprostol and office uterine evacuations. We used descriptive statistics to compare practices by provider specialty and logistic regression to identify associations between provider factors and treatment practices.


RESULTS
Seventy percent of providers have not used misoprostol and 91% have not used an office uterine evacuation to treat EPF in the past 6 months. Beliefs about safety and patient preferences, and prior induced abortion training were significantly associated with use of both of these treatments.


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing education and training on the use of misoprostol and office uterine evacuation, and clarifying patient treatment preferences may increase the willingness of providers to adopt new practices for EPF treatment.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. daltonvk@med.umich.edu
Vanessa K
VK
Dalton
Lisa H
LH
Harris
Katherine J
KJ
Gold
Lisa
L
Kane-Low
Jay
J
Schulkin
Ken
K
Guire
A Mark
AM
Fendrick
D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000628:therapy*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016595:Misoprostol; D009774:Obstetrics; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D016595:Misoprostol