The following is a summary of the “How to Provide Sexual and Reproductive Health Care to Patients: Focus Groups With Rheumatologists and Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers,” published in the February 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Mitchell, et al.

Rheumatologists have identified obstacles in delivering sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to patients with the potential to bear children. To better understand how to remove obstacles to SRH care, we facilitated focus groups with rheumatologists and rheumatology advanced practice providers (APPs). Through the use of videoconferencing, we were able to conduct three separate qualitative focus groups with rheumatologists and two separate focus groups with APPs. In addition, around 2 skilled research coordinators transcribed the interviews and created a codebook based on the topics discussed. 

Transcripts were coded according to the manual, and consensus settled disagreements. It was possible to conduct a thematic analysis by synthesizing the codes. Clinician groups were also found to have distinct coding differences depending on provider type. The sample included 22 clinicians, including 12 rheumatologists and 10 APPs. 4 common threads emerged from the responses: clinicians advised developing training opportunities and easily accessible resources to address SRH knowledge gaps; consultation systems are needed to facilitate rapid SRH care with women’s health providers; Clinicians advised the development of training opportunities and educational materials about SRH in the rheumatology context; and clinicians advised providing educational materials about SRH in the rheumatology context to patients. 

Although the APPs and rheumatologists both came up with similar ideas, the rheumatologists were more interested in additional training and education. In contrast, the APPs were more interested in electronic health record prompts and tools. Many avenues for improving SRH care in rheumatology were proposed by providers, providing a possible starting point for intervention creation.

Source: jrheum.org/content/50/2/240