title: Computer-assisted provision of hormonal contraception in acute care settings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated whether computerized counseling about contraceptive options and screening for contraindications increased women's subsequent knowledge and use of hormonal contraception.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the study 814 women aged 18-45 years were recruited from the waiting rooms of three emergency departments and an urgent care clinic staffed by non-gynecologists and asked to use a randomly selected computer module before seeing a clinician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women in the intervention group were more likely to report receiving a contraceptive prescription when seeking acute care than women in the control group (16% vs. 1%, p=.001). Women who requested contraceptive refills were not less likely than women requesting new prescriptions to have potential contraindications to estrogen (75% of refills vs. 52% new, p=.23). Three months after visiting the clinic, women in the intervention group tended to be more likely to have used contraception at last intercourse (71% vs. 65%, p=.91) and to correctly answer questions about contraceptive effectiveness, but these differences were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient-facing computers appear to increase access to prescription contraception for women seeking acute care.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Schwarzeb@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Eleanor B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Burch
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: Kathleen P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Tebb
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Ateev
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehrotra
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonzales
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D003201:Computers; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female; D004360:Drug Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D055553:Prescription Drugs
chemical_list: D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female; D055553:Prescription Drugs