title: What do young Australian women want (when talking to doctors about contraception)?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Access to most contraceptives in Australia requires a prescription from a doctor, and it has been shown that doctors can influence women's decision-making with respect to contraception. However, little research has documented how women experience their interactions with doctors within the context of a contraceptive consultation. Understanding such experiences may contribute to our knowledge of factors that may influence women's contraceptive decisions more broadly.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report on findings from the Contraceptive Use, Pregnancy Intentions and Decisions (CUPID) survey of young Australian women, a large-scale longitudinal study of 3,795 women aged 18-23 years. We performed a computer-assisted search for occurrences of words that indicated an interaction within the 1,038 responses to an open-ended question about contraception and pregnancy. We then applied a combination of conventional and summative content analysis techniques to the 158 comments where women mentioned an interaction about contraception with a doctor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our analysis showed that women desire consistent and accurate contraception information from doctors, in addition to information about options other than the oral contraceptive pill. Some young women reported frustrations about the choice limitations imposed by doctors, perceived by these women to be due to their young age. Several women expressed disappointment that their doctor did not fully discuss the potential side-effects of contraceptives with them, and that doctors made assumptions about the woman's reasons for seeking contraception. Some women described discomfort in having contraception-related discussions, and some perceived their doctor to be unsupportive or judgmental.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both the content and the process of a contraceptive consultation are important to young Australian women, and may be relevant contributors to their choice and ongoing use of a contraceptive method. These findings provide useful insights into aspects of the patient-provider interaction that will enhance the efficacy of the contraceptive consultation. It is recommended that doctors adopt patient-centred, shared decision-making strategies to support women in making choices about contraception that suit their individual circumstances. We also acknowledge the need to involve other health care providers, other than doctors, in educating, informing, and assisting women to make the best contraceptive choice for themselves.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. D.Goldhammer@latrobe.edu.au.
authors.forename: Denisa L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Goldhammer
authors.affiliation: Social Research Unit, WorkSafe Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Catriona
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wigginton
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Family Planning NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|The University of Sydney Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bateson
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loxton
authors.affiliation: Family Planning NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coombe
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Jayne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lucke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods*; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010465:Perception; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D060728:Reproductive Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Communication; Contraception; Patient-provider Interaction; Qualitative Research; Reproductive Health; Young Women