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Finding the Best Fit: A Grounded Theory of Contraceptive Decision Making in Women
Author(s) -
Noone Joanne
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6198.2004.tb00010.x
Subject(s) - grounded theory , unintended pregnancy , coding (social sciences) , psychology , context (archaeology) , perception , family planning , medicine , family medicine , population , qualitative research , research methodology , sociology , mathematics , statistics , environmental health , paleontology , social science , neuroscience , biology
PROBLEM. Half of the pregnancies in the United States that occur annually are unintended, and of these, half occur among women using contraceptives. METHODS. Interviews with 16 women, field notes, and memos were analyzed using constant comparative analysis and the methods of open, axial, and selective coding were used until saturation occurred. FINDINGS. The core category that describes the process of contraceptive decision making in women is “finding the best fit.” Women choose a method or methods to prevent pregnancy based on their knowledge, experience, and evaluation of what would be the best fit within the context of their current life situation. CONCLUSIONS. It is important that nurses obtain a thorough contraceptive history, and realize that women may have different perceptions and knowledge level of methods.