#3-22E. Automating Reproductive Health: Closing the Documentation Gap in Rheumatology (Arthritis Care Res, 2025)

Managing teratogenic medications in women of childbearing age is a critical responsibility for rheumatologists, yet gaps in documenting reproductive planning persist. In this episode, we explore a study by Moon et al. which assesses the impact of integrating a patient-driven, electronic pre-visit questionnaire into the electronic medical record. The researchers aimed to improve the documentation rates of contraception and pregnancy planning among female patients with autoimmune diseases. The results revealed a significant practice change: documentation of contraception rose from 44.6% to 70.5%, and pregnancy planning documentation increased fourfold from 15.5% to 60.2%, even among patients on teratogenic therapies. This suggests that automated tools can successfully prompt necessary safety checks without adding to the physician's administrative burden. However, critical appraisal requires noting that while documentation improved, this study cannot confirm whether the quality of patient-physician counseling actually enhanced, nor does it address long-term reproductive outcomes. For the practicing physician, this paper offers a practical, system-based solution to ensure compliance with reproductive health guidelines, highlighting how digital tools can streamline complex care workflows.

Citation: Moon, B., Bajaj, P., Clowse, M., et al. Improving Documentation Rates of Contraception and Reproductive Planning in Patients With Rheumatic Disease. Arthritis Care & Research. 2025. DOI: 10.1002/acr.25562

Disclaimer: This audio summary is based on personal interpretation and does not guarantee the exact content of the original paper. Please refer to the original article for details.