Contraceptive usage, knowledge and correlates of usage among female emergency department patients.

Objectives: For female emergency department (ED) patients, we sought to assess the prevalence of contraceptive usage as well as the extent of contraceptive knowledge and to determine if demographic and sexual health history factors, comprehension of contraceptive methods and moral/religious opinions on contraception were associated with current usage of birth control pills (BCPs), prior usage of emergency contraception (EC) and frequency of condom usage.

Methods: English-speaking female ED patients aged between 18 and 55 years at a northeastern United States urban ED were surveyed on their usage, comprehension and opinions regarding BCPs, EC and condoms.

Results: Of the 539 respondents (64.6% were aged
Conclusions: A high percentage of female ED patients (41.4%) were at risk of pregnancy. Demographic and sexual history factors can help identify women who might benefit from receiving referrals or education on contraceptive measures.