Only YOU can Ensure You are Getting the Best Reproductive Healthcare Possible: Changing Female Perspectives of Doctor-patient Communication

• In Event: Communication and Change: Discourses of and Tensions in Stability and Change

Abstract

Changing perspectives of responsibility for open communication from the provider to patient is the purpose of this study, specifically for women disclosing stigmatized information to an OB/GYN. Several theories identify self-efficacy as a factor in changing health behaviors, which involves targeting potential challenges. A sample of college-aged women identified problems in communicating with their OB/GYN and critiqued an advocacy campaign designed for empowerment. Themes of these focus groups were used to improve campaign materials.

Author

• Elizabeth Goins, University of Texas, Austin