In the United Kingdom, a large proportion of contraceptive services are provided from general practice. However, little is known about which contraceptive services are provided. More information is required regarding hormonal and long-acting reversible contraceptive services so that they can be made better.
The present study was a descriptive serial cross-sectional study of women. The participating women were registered with 191 general practices in Scotland.
The annual incidence of the provision of hormonal and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) increased from 27.7% in 2004 to 30.1%. Amongst those women registered with a general practice for the full 5-year period, the provision of LARCs increased from 8.8% to 12.5%. For the same group, the provision of emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) decreased from 5.2% to 2.6%.
The study concluded that except for EHC, there was an increase over time in the provision of hormonal contraceptives and LARCs from general practices. A full range of contraceptive options must remain easily available to women. Further studies are required regarding hormonal and long-acting reversible contraceptive services so that they can be made better.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/40/1/23
