Provision of contraceptive services to homeless women: results of a survey of health care for the homeless providers
UMass Chan Affiliations
Meyers Primary Care InstituteDepartment of Family Medicine and Community Health
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2012-03-29Keywords
ContraceptionContraceptive Agents, Female
Contraceptive Devices
Family Planning Services
Female
Health Care Surveys
*Health Services Accessibility
Healthcare Disparities
*Homeless Persons
Humans
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Unplanned
Questionnaires
United States
Health Services Research
Maternal and Child Health
Primary Care
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Homeless women have both a higher rate of pregnancy and a higher proportion of unintended pregnancies than other American women. The authors sought to learn about contraception services offered by providers of health care to homeless women and barriers to provision of long-acting, reversible contraception in these settings. A survey of the 31 member organizations in the national Health Care for the Homeless Practice-Based Research Network was conducted, inquiring about services provided and barriers to service provision. Among the 20 responding organizations (65% response rate), 17 directly provided contraceptive services; two referred patients elsewhere, and one provided no contraceptive services. All 17 that provided such services provided condoms; 15 provided oral contraceptives; 14 provided injectable contraception; 6 provided intrauterine devices, and 2 provided contraceptive implants. Barriers to providing the last two methods included lack of provider training, lack of resources for placement, costs, and concerns about complications. The present survey results suggested very limited access for homeless women across the country to the two most effective means of long-acting, reversible contraception. Modest investments of resources could reduce a number of barriers to providing these services.Source
Women Health. 2012;52(2):151-61. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI
10.1080/03630242.2011.649829Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/37184PubMed ID
22458291Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/03630242.2011.649829
Scopus Count
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