Emergency Contraception: Knowledge and Practices of Military Health Care Providers

摘要

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the knowledge and practices of military health care providers regarding the use of emergency contraception. A cross-sectional convenience sample was used to survey 435 military health care providers at 2 military hospitals. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What are the knowledge and practices of military health care providers regarding emergency contraception; (2) Is there a relationship between knowledge and practices of military health care providers regarding emergency contraception. A 24-item researcher-developed survey was used for data collection. The variables measured were knowledge and practice. The diffusion of innovations theory served as the theoretical model physicians, resident physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants (N = 104) completed the survey. All participants reported having heard of emergency contraception. A moderate relationship was noted between knowledge and practices (r = .57, p < . 01). Participants had more knowledge about emergency contraception than practices. This study suggests the need for an educational program to improve knowledge and practices and the need for further research with a military population.