Patient perceptions of a decision support tool to assist with young women's contraceptive choice

Objective: Contraceptive decision support tools (DSTs) have been suggested as a way to provide patient-centered contraceptive care, but little is known about the role they play in women's decision-making. The aim of this study is to understand patients' perceptions of the value of a contraceptive DST.

Methods: We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with unmarried women aged 18-29 from an integrated health care system who viewed the DST. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify common themes in the participants' experience.

Results: Four themes were identified: Informative; Narrowing down options; Tool vs. doctor; and Preparation for a clinical visit. In general, participants felt the tool was valuable because it provided them relevant information and facilitated their decision-making process by narrowing down contraceptive options. Participants felt the tool could prepare them for a visit with their health care provider by helping them identify questions for their provider, but also saw distinctions between the DST and what their provider could offer.

Conclusion: Contraceptive DSTs are valuable to their users when they include information on contraceptive attributes women deem important and allow for user-driven tailoring.

Practice implications: Contraceptive DSTs may address patient informational needs and can serve as a complement to provider counseling.