How to Tell Whether They Understand Sterilization Consent: Test Their Knowledge

Women undergoing publicly funded tubal sterilization must sign a Medicaid Title XIX consent form 30 days before undergoing the procedure. Many women who request sterilization antepartum do not return for it, and about 14% of sterilized women request reversal information. Young age and change in marital status have been identified as reasons for sterilization regret, but inadequate understanding of the procedure might play a part in both nonreturn and regret. The authors sought to develop a valid, understandable, readable, reliable Postpartum Tubal Sterilization Knowledge Questionnaire (PTSK-Q).

The PTSK-Q, which consists of statements requiring true/false/don’t know responses (see Table 1), was reviewed by an expert jury.

The questionnaire (r…