Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Contraceptive Access at Planned Parenthood of Illinois

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) provided in-clinic contraceptive services to over 10,000 patients/year. At pandemic onset, PPIL rapidly consolidated services to six health centers and launched telehealth. This study aims to understand the disruptions of the pandemic on contraceptive access and to understand the impact of telehealth as measured by changes in time to appointment and method mix. METHODS: Retrospective contraceptive service delivery data were analyzed before (March 2019-March 2020) and during (March- October 2020) the pandemic. Time to appointment was defined as days from date appointment was made to originally scheduled appointment date. Method mix was dichotomized as pill/patch/ring or long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Other methods were excluded. Descriptive and comparative statistics were generated. Institutional review board approval was received from the University of Chicago. RESULTS: Before the pandemic, median (IQR) time to in-clinic appointment was 5 (2-9) days compared to 11 (5-15) days during the pandemic. Median time to telehealth appointment was 4 (2-8) days. During the pandemic, 6,615 patients received contraceptive services, 1,701 through telehealth and 4,914 in-clinic, with 91.9% choosing pill/patch/ring or LARC methods. When dichotomized, method mix slightly changed with 57.0% of patients, prepandemic, choosing pill/patch/ring methods compared to 54.9% patients during the pandemic (P=.006). During the pandemic, 41.4% of pill/patch/ring visits were through telehealth and 58.6% through in-clinic visit. CONCLUSION: Telehealth appointments were available sooner than in-clinic visits and uptake of telehealth visits for patients obtaining pill/patch/ring was substantial. The small change in method mix is likely not clinically significant.