Pilot randomized control trial assessing interpersonal quality of contraceptive counseling via telephone vs video

To compare the interpersonal quality of contraceptive counseling delivered via telephone vs video.

We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial at a single Title X clinic. Staff informed patients about the study during appointment scheduling. Research staff contacted patients to assess for eligibility and interest, then enrolled and randomized participants to telephone- or video-based contraceptive counseling. Participants completed an electronic survey after counseling. The primary outcome was quality of contraceptive counseling, assessed using the Interpersonal Quality in Family Planning scale. Participants completed questions adapted from the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, a validated measure of the quality of the telehealth services. We conducted intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses for video vs telephone visits using appropriate bivariate tests.

Between May 2022 and June 2023, 269 patients scheduled telehealth counseling appointments. We screened 245 (91%) for eligibility; 232 (95%) were eligible. Of the eligible participants, 214 (92%) were enrolled and randomized; 200 (94%) completed counseling and the survey. Participant demographics were similar between groups. In the intention-to-treat analysis, most participants in the video and telephone groups had high interpersonal quality of counseling, defined as a top score on Interpersonal Quality in Family Planning (80% vs 75%, p = 0.44); quality of counseling was similar for the per-protocol comparison (79% video vs 76% telephone, p = 0.62). Participants reported a high level of usability with both counseling modalities.

Participants reported high interpersonal quality with telephone and video visits for contraceptive counseling. Telephone-based telehealth can further increase access to care, especially for patients with limited access to web-based video conferencing.

We found similarly high interpersonal quality of contraceptive counseling performed via video and telephone telehealth visits. Our findings, along with others, can support policy changes to increase access to telephone-based telehealth.