Future Directions in Performance Measures for Contraceptive Care: A Proposed Framework

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-27-2017

Publication Title

Contraception

Keywords

contraceptives, medical quality control, clinical trials, family planning, medical economics, medical care standards, contraception

Abstract

In the United States, almost half (45%) of the approximately 6 million pregnancies each year are unintended. These statistics indicate that many women experience barriers to achieving their desired reproductive outcomes, which has potential adverse consequences for women, children and society at large, such as higher rates of preterm birth, lower rates of breastfeeding and lower educational attainment. Contraceptive care is a highly effective clinical intervention that can substantially reduce those adverse outcomes, help individuals and couples achieve their desired number and spacing of children, and save money. However, many women at risk of unintended pregnancy do not use contraception or use it incorrectly or inconsistently, and there are documented barriers in access to and quality of contraceptive care services available.

Comments

Conflicts of interest: OPA authors performed this work under employment of the federal government; Christine Dehlendorf completed this work on personal time, without financial support. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Office of Population Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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