Exploring technology-based interventions to improve oral contraceptive pill adherence: a cross-sectional survey

SHORT CONDENSATIONPatients desire more educational information at the time of missed oral contraceptive pills, and preferences are varied regarding the format of patient information. Implementation of high-quality counseling with oral contraceptive pills requires a broad range of educational materials as well as provider education. PurposeTo assess the resources that oral contraceptive pill (OCP) users currently use and wish to use after missing pills.Materials and MethodsPeople 18-44 years old with a OCP prescription were emailed a cross-sectional survey to assess how they obtain information about managing missed pills, what information they would prefer to access, and whether they would use additional information if it were available. We performed a logistic regression and a dominance analysis to compare independent predictors of desire for a technological resource at the time of missed pills.ResultsWe received 166 completed surveys. Nearly half of participants (47%, n = 76, 95% CI 39.0-54.4%) did not seek information about managing their missed pills. When missing a pill, more patients preferred non-technology-based information (57.1%, n = 93, 95% CI 49.3-64.5%) over technology-based information (43%, n = 70, 95% CI 35.5-50.7%). Most reported they would appreciate more information at the time of missed pills (76%, n = 124, 95% CI 68.9-82.0%). The strongest predictors for desire for technology-based information were: current use of technology, lower parity, white race, and higher educational attainment.ConclusionsThis study indicates that most OCP users would utilise additional information at the time of a missed pill if they had access to it and that they desire information in varying formats.