Patients and providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception: a systematic review

ABSTRACTThe American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) immediately postpartum for preventing unintended pregnancy. This systematic review identified patients’ and providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding immediate postpartum LARC use. Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, PsychInfo, and CINHAL databases (from inception to December 2018) were searched using LARC and immediate postpartum as search terms. The inclusion criteria were observational US studies, peer-reviewed, and English language, and the exclusion criterion was published abstracts only. The search yielded 4140 articles, and 18 articles were included in the final sample. Articles focused on women (n = 6) emphasizing patient preferences about the use of postpartum intrauterine devices (IUDs) and comprised samples of postpartum women. Among articles focused on providers (n = 12), knowledge regarding immediate postpartum LARCs varied. Providers reported lack of training and la...