Knowledge and Comfort in Providing Contraception, Sexual, and Reproductive Healthcare Among Pediatric Nurses in California

Abstract

To evaluate the awareness, comfort, and feeling of competence of California registered nurses (RNs) in the provision of contraception and sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) to adolescent patients following California Assembly Bill (AB) 2348 legislation that expanded RN scope of practice to include provision of self-administered and injectable hormonal contraception. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was used to assess pediatric registered nurses’ awareness of AB2348, perceived level of competence and comfort in the provision of sexual and reproductive health care (N = 504). A sample of pediatric RNs in California were included in this analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to assess demographic characteristics and summarize participants responses, and Fisher's exact tests were used to identify difference between groups. Responses from 45 pediatric RNs are reported in this analysis. The majority (80.0%, n = 36) of nurses in this study had no knowledge of AB2348. Many expressed a lack of comfort dispensing contraception (34.6%, n = 16), discussing age-appropriate information on safer sex practices (62.2%, n = 28), and providing sexually transmitted infection education (49.9%, n = 22).While most of the pediatric RNs reported frequently providing care to pediatric patients of reproductive age the majority were not comfortable providing contraception, safer sex education, or sexually transmitted infection education, and were unaware that it is within their scope of practice to independently provide services using standardized procedures. Increased training the provision of SRH care is needed among pediatric RNs to increase their sense of competence and comfort in providing adolescent SRH care.