Patient perspectives of using reproductive autonomy to measure quality of care: a qualitative study.

Background: Current measures of reproductive health care quality, such as rates of "unintended" pregnancies, neglect to incorporate patients' desires and center their reproductive autonomy. This study explores patients' perspectives on and receptivity to alternative metrics for measuring quality of such care.

Methods: An online research recruitment firm identified eligible participants living in New York, ages 18-45, self-identifying as women, and having visited a primary care provider in the last year.

Women's Perspectives on a Reproductive Health Services Screening Question: An Alternative to Pregnancy Intention Screening.

Background: Current efforts to integrate reproductive health care into primary care in the United States involve assessing pregnancy intentions and reproductive goals, which are often not meaningful or attainable for some. Alternatively, we designed a reproductive health services-based screening question: "Can I help you with any reproductive health services today, such as preventing pregnancy or planning a healthy pregnancy?" In this study, we describe women's interpretations of this question as part of a larger study, exploring perspectives on reproductive health care quality in primary care.

Materials And Methods: We utilized a third-party research firm to recruit New York women of reproductive age (18-45), who visited a primary care provider in the past year.

Examining Women's and Men's Ideal Criteria Before Forming Families.

In the United States, family formation decision-making is more complex than the predominant models that have been used to capture this phenomenon. Understanding the context in which a pregnancy occurs requires a more nuanced examination. In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 men and women, aged 18-35, who had children or were pregnant.

Collaborating With Student Parents as Participatory Researchers in a Qualitative Study.

When embarking on research within a community where little empirical research exists, the inclusion of a structured participant group-such as a steering committee or advisory board-can formalize the participant-research team partnership, increase community buy-in for action items, and reinforce the trustworthiness of research findings. These were among the aims of the multimethod design of the Student Parent Project, a qualitative study to determine the barriers and facilitators of academic achievement and well-being at six community colleges within a large, urban, public university system. The initial step of the study was to create a Student Advisory Board by recruiting one student parent from each of the participating campuses.

The association of pregnancy control, emotions, and beliefs with pregnancy desires: A new perspective on pregnancy intentions.

Context: Standard pregnancy intentions measures do not always align with how people approach pregnancy. Studies that have investigated beyond a binary framework found that those with "ambivalent" feelings towards pregnancy are less likely to use contraception consistently, but the reasons for this are unclear. We sought to gain a nuanced understanding of pregnancy desires, and how perceptions about pregnancy are associated with contraceptive use.

Revisiting the Association between Race, Ethnicity, and Beliefs about Pregnancy.

Objective: Black and Latinx individuals are often the focus of health educational efforts to 'correct' perceived flawed beliefs about pregnancy, in order to increase contraceptive use and reduce unintended pregnancies. We sought to revisit the association between race, ethnicity, and beliefs about pregnancy.

Methods: We administered a web-based survey to 2,099 heterosexual men and women aged 21-44 years, using non-probability quota sampling.

Women's Perspectives on Reproductive Health Services in Primary Care.

Background And Objectives: Primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly offering reproductive health (RH) services to help address patients' unmet contraceptive needs and improve pregnancy outcomes. We sought to understand patient perspectives on receipt of RH services in primary care settings.

Methods: We used a purposeful stratified sampling approach to recruit women aged 21 to 40 years into focus groups (FGs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs).

Physician perspectives on routine pregnancy intention screening and counseling in primary care.

Objectives: To assess factors associated with routine pregnancy intention screening by primary care physicians and their support for such an initiative.

Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study of 443 primary care physicians in New York State. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses of physician support for routine pregnancy intention screening and implementation of screening in the last year.

A qualitative assessment of perspectives on getting pregnant: the Social Position and Family Formation study.

Background: Intentions-oriented approaches to measuring pregnancy do not necessarily align with how people view and approach pregnancy. Our objective was to obtain an in-depth understanding of the notions women and men hold regarding pregnancy.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 176 heterosexual women and men ages 18-35, in the United States.

Police Interactions and the Mental Health of Black Americans: a Systematic Review.

Black Americans comprise 13% of the US population, yet data suggests that they represent 23% of those fatally shot by police officers. Data on non-lethal encounters with police in the Black community is less available but can understandably result in emotional trauma, stress responses, and depressive symptoms. The aim of this systematic literature review is to assess if interactions with the police are associated with mental health outcomes among Black Americans.

A systematic review of the effect of reproductive intention screening in primary care settings on reproductive health outcomes.

Purpose: No recommendations exist for routine reproductive intention screening in primary care. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the effect of reproductive intention screening in primary care on reproductive health outcomes (PROSPERO CRD42015019726).

Methods: We performed a systematic search in Ovid Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, CDR/DARE databases, Web of Science, ISRCTN registry, Clinicaltrials.

Impact of Massachusetts Health Reform on Inpatient Care Use: Was the Safety-Net Experience Different Than in the Non-Safety-Net?

Objective: Most inpatient care for the uninsured and other vulnerable subpopulations occurs in safety-net hospitals. As insurance expansion increases the choice of hospitals for the previously uninsured, we examined if Massachusetts health reform was associated with shifts in the volume of inpatient care from safety-net to non-safety-net hospitals overall, or among other vulnerable sociodemographic (racial/ethnic minority, low socioeconomic status, high uninsured rate area) and clinical subpopulations (emergent status, diagnosis).

Data Sources/study Setting: Discharge records for adults discharged from all nonfederal acute care hospitals in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania 2004-2010.

The perceived role of clinicians in pregnancy prevention among young Black women.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify young Black women's attitudes toward clinicians and understand how they affect contraceptive behavior.

Study Design And Main Outcome Measures: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with women aged 18-23 who self-identified as Black or African-American and analyzed data using techniques informed by grounded theory. Initial codes were grouped thematically, and these themes into larger concepts.

Effect of Massachusetts healthcare reform on racial and ethnic disparities in admissions to hospital for ambulatory care sensitive conditions: retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics.

Objectives: To examine the impact of Massachusetts healthcare reform on changes in rates of admission to hospital for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), which are potentially preventable with good access to outpatient medical care, and racial and ethnic disparities in such rates, using complete inpatient discharge data (hospital episode statistics) from Massachusetts and three control states.

Design: Difference in differences analysis to identify the change, overall and according to race/ethnicity, adjusted for secular changes unrelated to reform.

Setting: Hospitals in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, United States.

Massachusetts health reform and disparities in joint replacement use: difference in differences study.

Objective: To estimate the impact of the insurance expansion in 2006 on use of knee and hip replacement procedures by race/ethnicity, area income, and the use of hospitals that predominantly serve poor people ("safety net hospitals").

Design: Quasi-experimental difference in differences study examining change after reform in the share of procedures performed in safety net hospitals by race/ethnicity and area income, with adjustment for patients' residence, demographics, and comorbidity.

Setting: State of Massachusetts, United States.

Brief provider communication skills training fails to impact patient hypertension outcomes.

Objectives: Hypertension remains a prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and improved medication adherence leads to better blood pressure (BP) control. We sought to improve medication adherence and hypertension outcomes among patients with uncontrolled BP through communication skills training targeting providers.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of a communication skills intervention for primary care doctors compared to usual care controls, on the outcomes of BP (systolic, diastolic), patient self-reported medication adherence, and provider counseling, assessed at baseline and post-intervention.

The effect of Massachusetts health reform on 30 day hospital readmissions: retrospective analysis of hospital episode statistics.

Objectives: To analyse changes in overall readmission rates and disparities in such rates, among patients aged 18-64 (those most likely to have been affected by reform), using all payer inpatient discharge databases (hospital episode statistics) from Massachusetts and two control states (New York and New Jersey).

Design: Difference in differences analysis to identify the post-reform change, adjusted for secular changes unrelated to reform.

Setting: US hospitals in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.