Using a Decision-Making Support Tool to Improve Access to Contraception in Mississippi
Published:
This process makes patients more aware of other options. In the past we tended to rely on what we already knew about our patients. Now we assess our patients fully and make them more aware of other options that may be more appropriate or that they will like better. The provider will take health, like high blood pressure, into consideration, but will always support the patient to select the most appropriate method.Margaret A. Gray, MD, President and CEO of FHCC
In spring 2019, health centers that make up the Mississippi State Department of Health Title X network implemented a program to increase access to contraception. Family Health Care Clinic, Inc. (FHCC) in Jackson used FPNTC resources to train approximately 40 staff on the importance of providing client-centered contraceptive counseling and same-visit access to contraception across 25 health centers. Front desk staff now use an iPad to enter patients’ answers during intake and at the same time provide information on the full range of contraceptive methods available. Patients also uses a tablet-based contraceptive decision support tool to answer questions about the range of methods available. The nurse can then refer to a patient’s answers in the electronic medical record and note any concerns for the provider.
Margaret A. Gray, MD, president and CEO of FHCC for nearly 40 years, emphasized her philosophy that all patients should be screened for family planning.“ This process makes patients more aware of other options,” she said. “In the past we tended to rely on what we already knew about our patients. Now we assess our patients fully and make them more aware of other options that may be more appropriate or that they will like better. The provider will take health, like high blood pressure, into consideration, but will always support the patient to select the most appropriate method.”