Emergency contraception: The opinions of physicians of different specialties

Objective. To determine the level of emergency contraception awareness among physicians of different specialties. Subjects and methods. A specially designed questionnaire was given to medical students trained in their specialty and according to training programs and placed on social network sites on the specialized portal “Doctors of the Russian Federation”. The group is a simple random sample. 375 physicians (obstetricians/gynecologists, therapists, and surgeons) (305 women, 70 men) participated in the investigation. Results. Among the survey participants, every two (49%) women used emergency contraception; two-thirds (63%) of them had it repeatedly. 84% of the physicians do not object to the use of postcoital contraceptive pills; almost all (about 95%) women are familiar with levonorgestrel-containing drugs and their regimens. No more than two-thirds of the specialists in various disciplines are well informed of the efficiency of emergency contraception. Only one-third of the practicing obstetricians/gynecologists have sufficient knowledge of the safe use of postcoital contraceptive pills. Overall, nearly two-thirds of the obstetricians/gynecologists and about 85-90% of the physicians of other specialties have insufficient knowledge about emergency contraception. Conclusion. It is necessary to train physicians of different specialties to enhance the level of knowledge about emergency contraception.

emergency contraception, physicians of different specialties, levonorgestrel-containing agents