Immediate recall of oral contraceptive instructions: Implications for providers

OBJECTIVE: The object of the study was to determine the patient characteristics associated with inadequate recall of oral contraceptive pill- taking instructions. STUDY DESIGN: Sexually active women aged 13 to 40 years (n = 150) attending university-based family planning clinics completed anonymous self-report measures that assessed demographic and reproductive characteristics, understanding of pill-taking instructions, and contraceptive compliance. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with inadequate recall for the sample, stratified by minority versus nonminority women. RESULTS: Minority women with inadequate recall were almost 6 times more likely than minority women with adequate recall not to know the name of the prescribed oral contraceptive and were 3 times more likely to have less than a high school education. In addition there were 1-fold and 2-fold increases in likelihood of inadequate recall as certainty of pill-taking instructions and general oral contraceptive knowledge, respectively, decreased, inadequate recall was associated with poor compliance. CONCLUSION: Women with inadequate recall may be identified at the conclusion of their visit so that interventions to enhance their pill-taking skills can be provided.