Emergency contraception. General practitioner knowledge, attitudes and practices in New South Wales.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of general practitioners in New South Wales regarding the provision of emergency contraception.

DESIGN: Randomised group comparison of 100 rural and 100 urban general practitioners (GPs) by questionnaire.

RESULTS: Eighty-four rural and 76 urban GPs responded. More rural GPs were knowledgeable about emergency contraception than urban GPs (95% v. 78%), and more women knew about it than men. More urban GPs frequently prescribed emergency contraception than rural GPs (26% v. 6%) and female GPs prescribed it more readily than male GPs (22% v. 12%). There was great variation in the regimens prescribed, especially among rural GPs. Twenty-five per cent of urban GPs and 31% of rural GPs did not offer women information about emergency contraception, while 16% of both groups included such information in any discussion about contraceptive options, and 18% gave information only if requested by the woman. More than 60% of the GPs would provide information about emergency contraception as a back-up to use of barrier methods.

CONCLUSIONS: The sex, attitude and knowledge of the GPs influence the likelihood of women being made aware of or being given emergency contraception in NSW. There is a need to further educate both the public and practitioners about emergency contraception.