Regularly assess, document, and revise the health center’s strategy for screening patients for their interest in talking about contraception or pregnancy prevention.

Strategy
Regularly assess, document, and revise the clinic strategy for screening clients for their interest in talking about contraception or pregnancy prevention.
Action Step(s)
  • Document patient workflow using a process mapping strategy.

  • Assess the CHC’s effectiveness at implementing the SINC screening question to assess patient desire for pregnancy prevention or contraception (hereon referred to as “pregnancy prevention or contraception screening question”), specifically the extent to which the CHC is screening all reproductively capable people for their desire for contraceptive counseling and care. 

  • Regularly shadow patient visits to monitor implementation of the SINC screening question, including the quality of delivery by staff, as well as corresponding data collection.

  • Engage patients in providing feedback regarding their experience of being screened for their desire for pregnancy prevention or contraception. If the CHC conducts post-visit general patient satisfaction surveys, consider adding a question that asks specifically about patient experience with this data element. 

Tools & Resources
  • Process Mapping: Developed by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA), this resource provides a step-by-step guide for identifying, documenting and assessing CHC workflows. PDF available

  • Pregnancy Intention and Contraceptive Needs Interventions for Clinics (PICNIC) Toolkit
    This extensive guide provides strategies for implementing universal screening for contraceptive health needs. It includes rationales for screening, operationalizing workflows in different settings, and the importance of high quality counseling.
    https://picck.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PICCK-PICNIC-Toolkit.pdf

  • Client-Centered Reproductive Goals & Counseling Flow Chart
    This sample workflow provides a template for incorporating the assessment of reproductive goals of patients, including examples of client-centered counseling skills.
    https://www.fpntc.org/sites/default/files/resources/fpntc_path_clnt_cntrd_cnslng_2019-03.pdf

  • Effectiveness of clinical decision support to enhance delivery of family planning services in primary care settings
    This research looked at the impact of a clinician-facing clinical decision support in the electronic medical record, showing that its integration in primary care sites may increase the provision of contraceptive services to reproductive aged people.
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31862409/

  • MyBirthControl - is an interactive tool designed to be used on an iPad before a visit with a provider. It takes users through a series of educational modules and then a survey on their preferences for method characteristics. https://clinic.mybirthcontrol.org/