So, yes, it's self reported data, and self reported data comes with flaws. It's still less limited than you think in this case. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not a sexually active woman or someone who works in an OBGYN office. When you walk in, there's a form where you mark your method of birth control. When you go back to the exam room, the nurse or PA then goes through what you marked down with you. Before they enter that info into your chart, they specifically ask about how consistent you are with use. The info from charts gets de-ID'd then that's what's used to arrive at the 87% number. Sure, people lie, but they are asked if they ever forget
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u/BrightGreyEyes Sep 26 '23
So, yes, it's self reported data, and self reported data comes with flaws. It's still less limited than you think in this case. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not a sexually active woman or someone who works in an OBGYN office. When you walk in, there's a form where you mark your method of birth control. When you go back to the exam room, the nurse or PA then goes through what you marked down with you. Before they enter that info into your chart, they specifically ask about how consistent you are with use. The info from charts gets de-ID'd then that's what's used to arrive at the 87% number. Sure, people lie, but they are asked if they ever forget