title: Doctors' experience of the contraceptive consultation: a qualitative study in Australia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Contraception is a field in which good doctor-patient communication is crucial and core to shared decision making. Despite the centrality of contraception to primary health care in Australia, little is known about how doctors manage the contraceptive consultation. In particular, little is known about how doctors discuss sexual issues related to contraception.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen contraceptive providers participated in qualitative interviews averaging 45 min. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using an inductive thematic approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found doctors were aware that they had to modify their illness-based 'scripts' in consultations about contraception, and said it was challenging always to adhere to a shared model of decision making. Prescribing behaviour reflected personal preferences in relation to some forms of contraception, and doctors were enthusiastic about the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system. Doctors identified gaps in training in relation to sexuality and reported feeling tentative in raising sexual issues, even within contraceptive consultations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A range of factors-including tendencies to use illness scripts, personal preferences, and discomfort with communications about sexuality-appear to influence doctors' approaches to contraceptive management. Medical training that enables doctors to move out of an illness-treating framework and to improve their understanding of and comfort in discussing sexuality issues will improve their management of healthy women seeking contraception.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Marguerite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kumiyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kirsten I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barratt
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Family Planning New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bateson
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.affiliation: Family Planning New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Juliet
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0469-5762
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richters
keywords: contraceptive counselling; doctor-patient interaction; family planning service provision; sexual function