AI Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate how well patients understand and use oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) in relation to their literacy levels.
- Most participants were African American, and while many knew how to handle missing one pill, knowledge about multiple missed pills was poor.
- Overall, literacy did not significantly impact OCP use, knowledge, or adherence, but many patients still struggled with understanding side effects and correct responses to missed doses, which could lead to misuse.
Article Abstract
Objective: To assess patient understanding and use of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) and determine if these are associated with literacy.
Methods: Four hundred OCP users from a southern public health family planning clinic were orally tested post visit for literacy, demographics, contraceptive knowledge, OCP use, side effects, and adherence.
Results: Patients were predominately African American (86%); 78% had completed high school and 42% read below a 9th grade level. Most (94%) understood what to do when they missed one pill, yet few knew the correct action to take after missing two or three pills (19% and 3% respectively); 33% reported missing one or more pills in the past 2 weeks. Literacy was not associated with OCP use, knowledge, or adherence.
Conclusion: Patients of all literacy levels had limited understanding of OCP side effects and what to do about multiple missed pills. This puts them at risk for misuse.
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Source |
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.smj.0000223734.77882.b2 | DOI Listing |
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