ORTHO birth control satisfaction assessment tool: assessing sensitivity to change and predictors of satisfaction

To test the sensitivity to change of the ORTHO Birth Control Satisfaction Assessment Tool (ORTHO BC-SAT) among dissatisfied women switching to a new hormonal birth control method and to better understand which factors contribute to a woman's satisfaction with the method.

Women switching to a new hormonal birth control method [oral contraceptives (OCs), injections, vaginal ring or transdermal patch] completed the ORTHO BC-SAT, a questionnaire measuring satisfaction, two times over a 3-month period. Sensitivity to change was measured by examining change scores, as well as the Guyatt's statistic. Predictors of satisfaction were examined using forward-stepping linear regression.

Fifty-six women completed the ORTHO BC-SAT twice. With the exception of Future Fertility Concerns, women reported statistically significant improvements on all scales of the questionnaire. The scales most sensitive to change were Overall Satisfaction, Assurance/Confidence, Lifestyle Impact, and Ease of Use/Convenience. Being older, switching from a nonhormonal method of birth control at baseline and more bodily pain at baseline predicted the increase in satisfaction scales.

The ORTHO BC-SAT has demonstrated sensitivity to change in this population. In addition, we identified several factors at baseline that predicted an increase in satisfaction scale scores.