The general practitioner contraceptive appointment. More than just a script?

Objective: To determine the secondary health benefits when women attend a general practitioner (GP) appointment for a prescription of the oral contraceptive pill (OCP). Design: An online survey of GPs working in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Setting: Primary careParticipants: 104 GPs responded.Participants participated through a link in a local medical publication, phone calls to practice managers and emails sent to general practitioners.A link to the survey tool was provided.Main outcome measures: Proportion of consultations that addressed a secondary health issue, in addition to prescribing of the OCP.Secondary outcomes were an audit of management activities and qualitative feedback about the consultation.Results: 96% of participants stated they had diagnosed a secondary health issue when prescribing the OCP.The major themes emerging from consultations in qualitative date were the complexity of consultations, the wider social and medical situation, discussions about switching to long-acting contraceptives and the consultation providing opportunistic healthcare. Conclusions:The majority of consultations to issue a prescription for the OCP involved management of a secondary health issue.If women did not see a general practitioner for their prescription, then some secondary health issues might be missed.. Donohue C (2021) The general practitioner contraceptive appointment.More than just a script?