How to Keep Family Planning Conversations in Primary Care

Conversations about family planning and contraception in primary care may be sidelined by the diverse and sometimes competing priorities to address during a time-limited clinical visit.

That's understandable, says UC San Francisco professor of family community medicine and family planning researcher Christine Dehlendorf, MD, MAS, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable.

Dehlendorf is concerned that if conversations about reproductive health and contraception choice aren't taking place in the primary care setting that women may instead have them at the family planning clinic down the street, a step that threatens to separate their reproductive health care from the rest of their health care. She goes into more detail in the following conversation with Patient Care^®.

More from the Patient Care conversation with Dr Dehlendorf:

Contraception Counseling Does Not Include "Shoulds," says Family Planning Expert