Obstetrics-gynecology resident long-acting reversible contraception training: the role of resident and program characteristics

BACKGROUND: Obstetrics-gynecology residents should graduate with competence in comprehensive contraceptive care, including long-acting reversible contraception. Lack of hands-on training and deficits in provider education are barriers to long-acting reversible contraception access. Identifying the number of long-acting reversible contraception insertions performed by obstetrics-gynecology residents could provide insight into the depth and breadth of long-acting reversible contraception training available to obstetrics-gynecology residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency programs. OBJECTIVE: Our study investigates long-acting reversible contraception-specific training in obstetrics-gynecology residency programs across the United States, including the self-reported number of long-acting reversible contraception insertions per resident and the impact of resident demographic characteristics and residency program characteristics on training. STUDY DESIGN: Obstetrics-gynecology residents completed a voluntary electronic survey during the 2016 Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology examination. The survey included resident demographic characteristics and residency program characteristics as well as resident education and training in long-acting reversible contraception (number of intrauterine devices and implants inserted, training in immediate postpartum intrauterine device placement). A binary "long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience" variable dichotomized respondents as having a low level of long-acting reversible contraception insertions (0 implants and/or 10 or fewer intrauterine devices) or a high level of long-acting reversible contraception insertions (1 or more implants and/or 11 or more intrauterine devices). chi(2) tests were used to compare the presence of longacting reversible contraception insertion experience by postgraduate year, resident demographic characteristics, and residency program characteristics. Adjusted logistic regression was performed to ascertain the independent effects of gender, race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white vs other), residency program type (university vs community), and residency program geographic region on the likelihood of "low" overall long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience. RESULTS: In total, 5055 obstetrics-gynecology residents completed the survey (85%); analysis included only residents in United States obstetrics-gynecology programs (N=4322). Of the total analytic sample, 1777 (41.2%) had low long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience. As expected, the number of intrauterine device insertions, implant insertions, and overall long-acting reversible contraception experience increased as residents progressed through training. Long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience varied by residency program geographic region: 169 (27.1%) residents in programs in the West had low long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience compared with 498 (39.0%) in the South, 473 (45.3%) in the Midwest, and 615 (46.0%) in the Northeast. Only 152 (14.9%) of all postgraduate year 4 residents had low long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience. Among postgraduate year 4 residents, low long-acting reversible contraception insertion experience was significantly associated racial/ethnic minority status and community-based residency program type (compared with university-based). Postgraduate year 4 residents in programs located in the Northeast and Midwest had 4.25 (95% confidence interval, 2.04-8.85) and 2.75 (95% confidence interval, 1.27-5.97) times the odds of low long-acting reversible contraception experience compared with those in residency programs in the West, even after adjusting for other respondent characteristics and other residency program characteristics. CONCLUSION: Obstetrics-gynecology residents experience a range of long-acting reversible contraception training and insertions, which differed according to resident race/ethnicity and residency program characteristics (program type and geographic region). Residency programs with low long-acting reversible contraception training experience should consider opportunities to improve competence in this fundamental obstetrics-gynecology skill.