Evaluating Provider Self-Disclosure in Adolescent Contraception Counseling

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Adolescent Medicine
• Contraception Counseling

Background:

• Provider self-disclosure (PSD) of personal contraceptive use, particularly intrauterine devices (IUDs), is a nuanced aspect of counseling adolescents.
• Understanding the prevalence and context of IUD-PSD is crucial for effective patient-centered care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine how often healthcare providers disclose their own intrauterine device (IUD) usage to adolescent patients.
• To explore the specific situations and content when providers choose to self-disclose IUD use.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was distributed to healthcare providers counseling adolescents on contraception.
• Eighty-five providers completed the web-based survey regarding their practices of provider self-disclosure (PSD) of intrauterine device (IUD) use.

Main Results:

• Over a third of providers (36%) found PSD of contraception generally appropriate, while 26% found it inappropriate.
• Among IUD users, 72% have disclosed their IUD use to an adolescent by choice.
• IUD-related self-disclosure most frequently occurs when patients are considering IUDs or have decided on them.

Conclusions:

• Provider self-disclosure of intrauterine device (IUD) usage is a relatively common practice among surveyed providers.
• The decision to self-disclose IUD use often happens later in the patient's decision-making process, particularly after they have considered or chosen an IUD.