Physician Self Disclosure of IUC Use

Pilot Study of Physician Self-disclosure of Personal Intrauterine Contraceptive Use Versus Usual Counseling

As many as one-third of female healthcare providers use intrauterine contraception (IUC), but only about 8 percent of US women overall do. This begs the question: Might physician self-disclosure of personal IUC use increase IUC use among patients? However, the positive or negative impact of physician self disclosure on IUC uptake or patient satisfaction is generally unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if physician self-disclosure of personal IUC use increases patient use of IUC or impacts patients' satisfaction with their clinical encounter.

We performed a prospective randomized block design pilot trail of usual contraceptive counseling versus usual counseling plus physician self-disclosure of personal intrauterine contraceptive use.

Inclusion Criteria:

• reproductive age
• currently sexually active
• scheduled for benign gynecology visit, annual exam, or family planning visit

Exclusion Criteria:

• seeking pregnancy within 1 year
• currently using IUC
• prior sterilization procedure
• currently pregnant