Do Hospital Web Sites Describe Available and Institutionally Restricted Family Planning Options? [188

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Women face institutional restrictions related to the provision of family planning care at Catholic hospitals. We sought to determine whether hospitals (Catholic and non-Catholic) comprehensively describe available family planning options on their web sites. METHODS: We reviewed websites of 39 Catholic hospitals and 39 non-Catholic hospitals from the 25 largest health care systems in 2011. We searched for women's health care services and family planning options. We specifically compared whether Catholic hospitals identified the provision of natural family planning care and non-Catholic hospitals identified the provision of at least one short- or long-term contraceptive option. RESULTS: More than 90% of all web sites examined identified provision of women's health services, prenatal and maternity care, and mammography and 58% identified the provision of robotic hysterectomy. Catholic hospitals were less likely to identify the provision of natural family planning when compared with non-Catholic hospitals that identified the provision of contraceptive options (23.1% compared with 53.8%, P<.01). Five Catholic hospitals (13%) identified the provision of at least one short- or long-term contraceptive option. None of the Catholic hospitals explicitly stated that other contraceptive options were not offered. IMPLICATION: Current hospital web sites do not sufficiently detail available contraceptive options, and Catholic hospitals do not detail restrictions to family planning care. The omission of available care options limits women's ability to act as well-informed consumers of health care.