One Key Question to Help Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy

How can we make discussions about women’s pregnancy goals more brief, straightforward, and effective? The Oregon Foundation for Reproductive Health has done just that with their One Key Question®—“Would you like to become pregnant within the next year?” If the answer is no, it opens a conversation about family planning and contraceptives, with a special emphasis on long-term methods like the IUD. If the answer is yes, patients receive resources to help them prepare for conception and a healthy pregnancy.

Nationally, 51% of pregnancies are unintended, which is why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that providers regularly check in on reproductive-age women’s pregnancy goals. Many Epic community members have incorporated the One Key Question into provider workflows in Epic, and 64% of those organizations consistently screen for pregnancy plans compared to only 12% of organizations who don’t use the One Key Question.

In a small pilot, the One Key Question was well-received and effective, especially for women who didn’t want to become pregnant: the number of women using a long-term contraceptive increased by 47% after the pilot, and the number of women using no contraceptive decreased by 86%.

Read more here.