Immediate recall of oral contraceptive instructions: implications for providers

Abstract

Objective: The object of the study was to determine the patient characteristics associated with inadequate recall of oral contraceptive pill-taking instructions.

Study design: Sexually active women aged 13 to 40 years (n = 150) attending university-based family planning clinics completed anonymous self-report measures that assessed demographic and reproductive characteristics, understanding of pill-taking instructions, and contraceptive compliance. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with inadequate recall for the sample, stratified by minority versus nonminority women.

Results: Minority women with inadequate recall were almost 6 times more likely than minority women with adequate recall not to know the name of the prescribed oral contraceptive and were 3 times more likely to have less than a high school education. In addition there were 1-fold and 2-fold increases in likelihood of inadequate recall as certainty of pill-taking instructions and general oral contraceptive knowledge, respectively, decreased. Inadequate recall was associated with poor compliance.

Conclusion: Women with inadequate recall may be identified at the conclusion of their visit so that interventions to enhance their pill-taking skills can be provided.

PIP: This study was conducted to determine the demographic, reproductive, and behavioral characteristics associated with inadequate recall of oral contraceptive (OC) pill-taking instructions among sexually active women aged 13-40 years who received care from a community-based family planning clinic in Galveston, Texas. Preliminary analyses revealed that factors associated with inadequate recall differed according to patients' race or ethnicity. Specifically, the pattern of significant demographic and reproductive characteristics, as well as pill-taking instruction behaviors did not differ when women of Black, Mexican American, and other non-White race or ethnicity were compared with each other. However, minority women with inadequate recall were almost 6 times more likely than minority women with adequate recall not to know the name of the prescribed OC and were 3 times more likely to have less than a high school education. Furthermore, there were one- and two-fold increases in likelihood of inadequate recall as certainty of pill-taking instructions and general OC knowledge decreased. Inadequate recall was associated with poor compliance. However, these findings suggest that poor compliance with OCs may be linked to the immediate recall of pill-taking instructions. Intensive specialized patient education is needed to improve these women's abilities to adequately understand how to take OCs.