This paper considers the concept of consumer acceptance of medical products and its importance to successful healthcare provision. The critical dimensions (‘domains’) of acceptance for a product designed to assist family planning, and the importance of using high-quality psychometric scales to assess these domains, are discussed. Qualitative and quantitative data from acceptance studies with a personal contraceptive monitor, PERSONA™*, are presented. These data indicate that the monitor is user-friendly and acceptable to couples, and underline the importance of user acceptability for home monitors designed to assist family planning — including those used for conception purposes.
NewmanSHThompsonVD: Population Psychology: Research and Educational Issues.Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1976
3.
ThompsonVDDavidHP: Population psychology in perspective. Int J Psychol1977; 12: 135–146
4.
SeveryLJ: Acceptability as a critical component of clinical trials. In: Advances in Population: Psychosocial Perspectives, Volume 3 (SeveryLJMillerWB, eds). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1999; pp103–122
5.
SeveryLJThapaS: Preferences and tolerance as determinants of contraceptive acceptability. In: Advances in Population: Psychosocial Perspectives, Volume 2 (SeveryLJ, ed). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1994; pp119–139
6.
SnowdenR: Human reproductive behavior: general principles. In: Natural Contraception Through Personal Hormone Monitoring: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the XIV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics (BonnarJ, ed). New York: Parthenon Publishing Group, 1996; pp45–53
7.
SeveryLJSilverSE: Two reasonable people: joint decision making in fertility regulation. In: Advances in Population: Psychosocial Perspectives, Volume 1 (SeveryLJ, ed). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1993; pp207–228
8.
MarshallJFAcceptability of fertility regulating methods: designing technology to fit people. Prev Med1997; 6: 65–73
9.
HardonAThe needs of women versus the interests of family planning personnel, policy makers and researchers: conflicting views on safety and acceptability of contraceptives. Soc Sci Med1992; 35: 753–766
10.
BruceJImplementing the user perspective. Stud Fam Plann1988; 11: 29–33
11.
GradyWRKlepingerDHNelson-WallyA: Contraceptive characteristics: the perceptions and priorities of men and women. Fam Plann Perspect1999; 31: 168–175
12.
BulataoRAPalmoreJAWardSE (eds): Choosing a Contraceptive: Method Choice in Asia and the United States.Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1989; pp277–304
13.
CollinsWP: Indicators of potential fertility: scientific principles. In: Natural Contraception Through Personal Hormone Monitoring: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the XIV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics (BonnarJ, ed). New York: Parthenon Publishing Group, 1996; pp13–33
14.
MayK: Home Monitoring with the ClearPlan Easy™ Fertility Monitor for Fertility Awareness. J Int Med Res2001; 29 (Suppl 1): 14A–20A
15.
MayK: The Unipath personal contraceptive system. Human reproductive behavior: general principles. In: Natural Contraception Through Personal Hormone Monitoring: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the XIV FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics (BonnarJ, ed). New York: Parthenon Publishing Group, 1996; pp35–44
16.
BeckerS: Couples and reproductive health: a review of couple studies. Stud Fam Plann1996; 27: 291–306
17.
GradyWRTanferKBillyJOGLincoln-HansonJ: Men's perceptions of their roles and responsibilities regarding sex, contraception and childbearing. Fam Plann Perspect1996; 28: 221–226
18.
ThomsonE: Couple childbearing desires, intentions, and births. Demography1997; 34: 343–354
19.
SeveryLJKleinCTFMcNultyJ: Acceptability of personal home monitoring for contraception: longitudinal and contextual factors. J Soc Psychol2001; in press
20.
BonnarJFlynnAFreundlGKirkmanPRoystonRSnowdenR: Personal home monitoring for contraception. Br J Fam Plann1999; 24: 128–134
21.
DavisKEToddMJ: Friendship and love relationships. In: Advances in Descriptive Psychology (DavisKEMitchellT, eds). Greenwich: JAI Press, 1982; pp79–122
22.
WheelessLR: Self-disclosure and interpersonal solidarity: measurement, validation and relationships. Hum Commun Res1976; 3: 47–61
23.
WheelessLR: A follow-up study of the relationships among trust, disclosure and interpersonal solidarity. Hum Commun Res1978; 4: 143–157
24.
LevinsonDJHuffmanPE: Traditional family ideology and its relation to personality. J Personality1955; 23: 251–275
25.
DomarADClappDSlawsbyEADusekJKesselBFreizingerM: Impact of group psychological interventions on pregnancy rates in infertile women. Fertil Steril2000; 73: 805–811
26.
CronbachLJ: Coefficient-alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika1951; 16: 297–334
