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288 It affected me so much that I even had to tie my tubes: The Role of Patient-Clinician Communication on Black Women’s Perceptions of Pregnancy Risk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2024

Tiwaladeoluwa Beloved Adekunle*
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
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Abstract

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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: This study utilizes a Black Feminist metatheoretical approach in conjunction with the Social Amplification of Risk Framework to: i) assess the role of communication with clinicians on Black women’s perceptions of risk and ii) outline recommendations for empowering communication that attenuates Black women’s perceptions of pregnancy risk. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 self-identified Black women in 2022 and 2023 to gain insights into their conceptualizations of pregnancy risk, and the role of communication with clinicians in the amplification and/or attenuation of pregnancy risk perceptions.An IRB approved flier was used for both in-person and online recruitment of participants from 12 US states.Each participant signed a consent form and received $20 as compensation for their time. Interviews were recorded and transcribed using a digital transcription tool, and then reviewed and edited to ensure accuracy. This study’s metatheoretical underpinning in Black Feminist Theory informed the use of reflexive thematic analysis in the qualitative analysis of the in-depth interviews. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: This study found thatunclear communication (including insufficiently contextualized history taking), obstetric violence, anddiagnoses with insufficient explanation,led to the amplification of concerns and worries about pregnancy as well as erosion of trust in healthcare. In contrast,clinicians lessenedconcerns about pregnancy through clear communication (including appropriately contextualized history-taking), demonstration of empathy, and by fostering patient agency.The study thus highlights the importance of clinicians' clear communication,demonstration ofempathy and fostering of patient agencyas critical factors to empowering communication that attenuates Black women’s pregnancy-related risk perceptions. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Given the unjust dangers Black women face during pregnancy, this study demonstrates how patient-clinician communication influences Black women’s pregnancy risk perceptions, providing recommendations for clinician communication practices that empower Black women and attenuate their perceptions of pregnancy risk.

Type
Health Equity and Community Engagement
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science