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. 2025 May 6:6:100401.
doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100401. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Use of digital flashcards for reproductive health counseling among adolescents

Meghan A Anderson  1 , Rachel Price  2 , Tori P Miller  2 , Rajan Lamichhane  3 , Jennie L Yoost  1
Affiliations

Use of digital flashcards for reproductive health counseling among adolescents

Meghan A Anderson et al. PEC Innov. .

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine whether "digital flashcard" graphics on a provider's smartphone are helpful in educating adolescents about reproductive health.

Methods: A randomized study compared the understanding of reproductive health topics among adolescents using digital flashcards during a clinical visit vs counseling as usual (control).

Results: There were 197 subjects (99 flashcards, 98 control) with mean age of 14.7 years. Among subjects in the flashcard group, new patients used more flashcards than return patients (3.48 vs 2.40, p = 0.001). The most frequently used flashcards were 7-day placebo birth control pills, the intrauterine device, internal anatomy and 84-day birth control pills. Among the flashcard group 96.9 % reported they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that flashcards were helpful in understanding the topics discussed, and 98 % would recommend using them in the future. All subjects experienced an increase in understanding of the topics discussed during clinic, and there was no difference between the flashcard group and control.

Conclusion: Subjects using the digital flashcards during their clinical encounter reported high acceptability.

Innovation: Digital flashcards are accessible via smart phone use and can be easily distributed among providers to assist in reproductive health counseling in adolescents.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Disclosure The authors have no financial disclosures or competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Selected digital flashcards used during clinic encounters a)internal anatomy b)contraceptive patch c) 84 day pills d)7 day placebo pill pack. All digital flashcards available for download at: https://www.marshallhealth.org/for-health-professionals/digital-flashcards-for-medical-providers/
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Frequency of flashcards used during clinical encounters among 99 subjects in Flashcard group. (DMPA = depomedroxyprogesterone).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Responses to question “How well did you understand the topics discussed BEFORE the clinic visit?”(Prior Understanding) and “How well did you understand the topics discussed AFTER the clinic visit?” (Post Understanding).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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