Hospital religious affiliation and emergency contraceptive prescribing practices

Am J Public Health. 2006 Aug;96(8):1398-401. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.061218. Epub 2006 Jun 29.

Abstract

With access to reproductive health care eroding, examination of prescribing of contraception, including emergency contraception (EC), is important. We examined whether working in a family practice affiliated with a religious institution changes the likelihood of a provider prescribing EC. Our survey asked about EC prescribing practices in a range of situations. As predicted, practitioners in non-religiously affiliated practices reported higher rates of prescribing EC than those in religiously affiliated practices. In both cases, however, the practitioners' prescribing patterns were inadequate.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Contraceptives, Postcoital / supply & distribution*
  • Drug Utilization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Family Practice / education
  • Family Practice / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Services Accessibility / statistics & numerical data*
  • Hospitals, Religious / statistics & numerical data*
  • Hospitals, Teaching / classification*
  • Hospitals, Teaching / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Internship and Residency / organization & administration
  • Internship and Residency / statistics & numerical data
  • Levonorgestrel / supply & distribution
  • New Jersey
  • New York City
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians' / statistics & numerical data*
  • Religion and Medicine*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Contraceptives, Postcoital
  • Levonorgestrel