(Family) planning ahead: Adopting user-centered design to enable patient-centered decision-making about postpartum contraception
Contraception
Awarded 2016
Interdisciplinary Innovation (Phase 1) Grants
Rachel Thompson, PhD
Dartmouth College
$24,998

Background: Significant enthusiasm about immediate postpartum placement of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods has prompted concerns about the line between active promotion of LARC methods and coercion, particularly when caring for vulnerable or minority groups. A patient decision aid (DA) on postpartum contraception that women use during pregnancy may be an effective strategy for improving access to immediate postpartum LARC while safeguarding against coercion. However, no such DA is currently available to providers for use in routine pregnancy care in the US. Methods: In this planning phase, our interdisciplinary team will develop a DA on postpartum contraception and identify meaningful outcome measures (e.g., patient-provider trust, women’s perceptions of provider recommendations, postpartum contraceptive method chosen) for evaluating its impact. Throughout this work, we will adopt user-centered design principles to ensure the DA and outcome measures reflect the preferences and priorities of end users (i.e., women and providers). We will also adhere to International Patient Decision Aid Standards in DA development. Implications: This planning phase, which responds to a key Society of Family Planning research priority, will constitute the formative work critical for a study of the impact of a DA on postpartum contraception. This work will also catalyze a new collaboration. Following this planning phase, we intend to design, develop, and submit a research proposal to implement and evaluate the impact of the DA. This subsequent project would generate new knowledge on the ability of the DA to improve access to immediate postpartum LARC while safeguarding against coercion.