Provider and Patient Perspectives on a New Tangible Decision Aid Tool to Support Patient-Centered Contraceptive Counseling with Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Study objective: Despite the benefits of patient-centered contraceptive care, many adolescents and young adults do not receive such care. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate Hello Options, a tangible decision aid to support patient-centered contraceptive counseling with adolescents and young adults in a clinic setting. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTION, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hello Options is a contraceptive counseling decision aid tool (hereafter referred to as "the Tool") that allows patients to see and feel life-size "tangible" models of the range of contraceptive methods. The Tool was developed by a team of designers, adolescents, clinicians, and researchers using human-centered design. From December 2019 to March 2020, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of the Tool with 10 contraceptive care providers and 40 adolescent and young adult patients (aged 12-29 years) at two Chicago clinics. We calculated descriptive statistics for patient survey data, and qualitatively analyzed provider interview transcripts for salient themes using recursive abstraction.

Results: Patients had positive reactions to the Tool, reporting that it allowed them to better understand how contraceptive methods work in their body and that it allowed them to make more informed decisions. Furthermore, providers commented that the Tool facilitated conversations with their patients, helped dispel myths about particular methods, and eased patients' anxieties. Limitations mentioned included storage and portability concerns, and time constraints for counseling.

Conclusion: Hello Options is a useful, feasible, and acceptable decision aid that can support the provision of patient-centered contraceptive care for young people.

Keywords: Adolescents; Contraception; Contraceptive counseling; Decision aids; Patient-centered care; Shared decision-making; Young adults.