SS5 - Patient-Centered Contraceptive Counseling in 2025 - SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT

Healthcare leaders are telling us the same thing: patients are feeling anxious about access to birth control. Google searches for “birth control” and Plan B reportedly doubled between Nov. 2 and Nov. 6, 2024. Nearly 1 in 5 women have switched their contraceptive method since the Dobbs decision, often opting for long-term or permanent options (KFF WHS 2024). And patients are not just requesting early IUD and implant replacements; they’re asking about stockpiling birth control pills and emergency contraception.

Confusion and fear-based decision making compromise both patient choice and the highest standards of care. Providers have an opportunity to help patients make well-informed contraceptive care decisions, even amidst their anxiety. In this training segment, we will discuss how to conduct patient-centered counseling that empowers patients to make the contraceptive care decisions that fit their needs, preferences and goals.

This session will be interactive. Upstream’s expert trainers will share relevant information, prompt discussion, and role play these conversations — helping equip attendees with the foundational skills to both honor and ease patients fears, with the goal of providing them the care they need and deserve. We will also provide patient-education materials, featuring medically accurate information about birth control options, that you can take home to support these counseling conversations.