Cognitive interviews to improve a patient-centered contraceptive effectiveness poster.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Patient Education

Background:

• Clinicians are recommended to educate women on contraception by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Office of Population Affairs.
• Developing effective educational materials is crucial for improving contraceptive knowledge and behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refine the CDC's contraceptive education poster using a patient-centered design approach.
• To enhance the clarity, relevance, and acceptability of contraceptive information for women.

Main Methods:

• Conducted cognitive interviews with 26 women (aged 18-44) using a purposive sampling strategy.
• Iteratively revised the patient-centered poster over four rounds based on participant feedback.
• Coded interviews using cognitive theory to assess comprehension, relevance, acceptability, and preference.

Main Results:

• 83% of women preferred the patient-centered poster over the original CDC version by the final round.
• The refined poster was favored for its relevance (86%), design (100%), and ease of comprehension (86%).
• Patient feedback revealed unforeseen issues, underscoring the value of patient-centered design.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully refined a contraceptive education poster to be clear and address the target audience's informational needs.
• The patient-centered design approach significantly improved the poster's effectiveness.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the poster's impact on contraceptive knowledge and behaviors before widespread implementation.