Latina contraceptive decision-making and use: The importance of provider communication and shared decision-making for...

Poor patient-provider communication, among other reasons, is a notable barrier to contraceptive decision-making among Latinas. Patient-centered approaches to contraceptive counseling that optimize communication align with shared decision-making (SDM) -which is associated with satisfaction and continued contraceptive use among various populations.

To examine associations of patient-provider communication and importance of SDM tenets with consistent contraceptive use among a population of Latinas.

Formative work for this study included prior qualitative and quantitative research with Latinas who expressed the importance of patient-provider communication during contraceptive counseling and therefore were instrumental in problem definition.

Cross-sectional surveys were administered to Latinas ages 15-29 years. Patient-provider communication, patient-reported importance of specific SDM tenets, and consistent contraception use were measured and analyzed for associations.

103 Latinas (mean age = 21.4) participated. 33% of participants<21 years were using contraception consistently vs. 67% for those ≥ 21 (p = 0.003). Among participants ≥ 21, consistent users reported higher communication scores compared to inconsistent users and non-users (p = 0.042). For participants< 21, consistent users were more likely than inconsistent users and non-users to report that 2 SDM tenets (discussion of contraceptive preferences and avoidance of race/ethnic-based judgement) are important (p = 0.052, 0.028, respectively).

Patient-provider communication was especially important for Latinas ≥ 21 while using an SDM approach during counseling was highly valued by those<21. Patient-centered approaches to contraceptive counseling provide opportunities to optimize healthcare delivery for this vulnerable population.

Results from this research demonstrate that patient-centered communication is highly valued by Latina study participants and is an important consideration in their contraceptive counseling. Clinicians should consider employing techniques such as SDM as they seek to provide patient-centered care during contraceptive counseling for this patient population.