Training Providers at School-Based Health Centers in Intrauterine Devices and Implants: The Effect of an Evidence-Based Program on Provider Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices

Alison Comfort , University of California, San Francisco
Lavanya Rao, University of California, San Francisco
Suzan Goodman, University of California, San Francisco
Rosalyn Schroeder, University of California, San Francisco
Charles McCulloch, University of California, San Francisco
Cynthia C. Harper, University of California, San Francisco

The US continues to have high adolescent pregnancy rates compared to other developed countries. Providing adolescents access to the full range of contraceptives, including long-acting methods (LARC) could reduce unintended pregnancy. Yet many providers are not trained to offer these methods to adolescents. This study is the first to evaluate the impact of offering an evidence-based provider training on LARC to school-based health centers. Using generalized estimating equations for clustered data, we assess the change in provider attitudes, knowledge and practices related to LARC three months after the training. We find that at follow-up, providers are more likely to believe LARC are safe and have sufficient experience to counsel on these methods. Providers have higher knowledge of patient eligibility for these methods and are more comfortable inserting the newer devices. Training providers at school-based health centers can improve contraceptive access as a key strategy to reduce unintended pregnancy among adolescents.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 85. Adolescent Fertility and Contraceptive Use