‘Helpful Information I wasn’t really getting:’ Patient and provider perspectives on a STI intervention during pregnancy
Year: 2025
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Context Childbearing women with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is an “accelerating” epidemic in the United States affecting 25% of pregnant women. Substance use and sexual risk-taking contribute significantly to STI acquisition and can have negative health effects for the mother and fetus. Objective To assess factors affecting implementation of the “Health Check-up for Expectant Moms (HCEM),” a web-delivered Screening and Brief Intervention aimed to reduce substance use and STI risk in perinatal women. The goal of this study was to explore the perspectives of primary care physicians (PCPs), medical assistants (MAs), and study participants on implementation of HCEM in clinical practice. Study Design and Analysis A qualitative descriptive study consisting of semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data. Setting or Dataset Interviews were conducted via Zoom with participants affiliated with a large health system in the Midwest. Population Studied PCPs and MAs at 4 high-volume primary care clinics and postnatal cisgender women over age 18 who had participated in the intervention condition of the HCEM trial. Outcome Measures Identification of barriers and facilitators to HCEM dissemination and implementation from PCPs and MAs; dissemination, functionality, and content relevance from patients. Results We conducted 18 interviews. Salient themes for PCPs and MAs included: (1) Providers expressed concerns about stigmatization as a major barrier to receiving substance use and STI treatment in spite of universal prenatal screening; and (2) providers felt that the utility of the intervention is supported by its virtual delivery, which makes it easier to integrate in workflows and may reduce barriers. Two salient themes for patient participants: (1) The value of learning about STIs during pregnancy and the negative effects of mother-to-child transmission; and (2) suggestions for future iterations of HCEM were related to functionality and pregnancy content. Conclusions Overall, all study participants expressed a favorable view of HCEM for STI risk reduction. Physicians and MAs felt its technological delivery would make it feasible to implement and could have value in addressing some STI treatment barriers. Patients emphasized HCEM’s educational value, particularly learning about the negative effects of STIs on fetal development. These factors will positively impact future dissemination and implementation of HCEM.
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4415005606