Access to mifepristone, misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines in eight countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: descriptive analyses of country-level assessments.

BACKGROUND: Despite their importance in reducing maternal mortality, information on access to Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is limited. METHODS: A standardized assessment tool measuring access to Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines included in the WHO essential medicines list (EML) was implemented in eight countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Pakistan, and Somalia) between 2020-2021. The assessment focused on five access measures: 1) the inclusion of medicines in national family planning guidelines; 2) inclusion of medicines in comprehensive abortion care guidelines; 3) inclusion of medicines on national essential medicines lists; 4) medicines registration; and 5) procurement and forecasting of Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines. A descriptive analysis of findings from these eight national assessments was conducted. RESULTS: Only Lebanon and Pakistan included all 12 contraceptives that are enlisted in the WHO-EML within their national family planning guidelines. Only Afghanistan and Lebanon included mifepristone and mifepristone-misoprostol combination in post-abortion care guidelines, but these medicines were not included in their national EMLs. Libya and Somalia lacked a national regulatory authority for medicines registration. Most contraceptives included on the national EMLs for Lebanon, Morocco and Pakistan were registered. Misoprostol was included on the EMLs-and registered-in six countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Pakistan). However, only three countries procured misoprostol (Iraq, Morocco, and Somalia). CONCLUSION: These findings can guide efforts aimed at improving the availability of Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Opportunities include expanding national EMLs to include more options for Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines and strengthening the registration and procurement systems to ensure these medicines' availability were permitted under national law and where culturally acceptable.

Ensuring access to Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines is critical to improving women's health, and more specifically reducing maternal mortality and improving women's sexual and reproductive health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.The aim of this study was to analyse findings from national assessments to capture information on the implementation of relevant policies and procedures. Those were the policies that ensure access to Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines in the public sector for the eight Eastern Mediterranean Region countries included in the study (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Pakistan, and Somalia). The assessments were completed between 2020 and 2021.We found that most countries did not include all twelve contraceptives enlisted in the WHO essential medicines list (EML) in their national family planning guidelines. No country had developed a national abortion care guidelines nor included mifepristone (alone or in combination with misoprostol) on national EML. Libya and Somalia lacked a national regulatory authority for medicines registration. Most contraceptives included on the national EMLs for Lebanon, Morocco and Pakistan were registered. Misoprostol was included on the EMLs­and registered­in six countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Pakistan) yet, only three countries procured misoprostol (Iraq, Morocco, and Somalia).Our findings provide evidence on system-level barriers to availability of Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines (e.g., lack of guidelines or inclusion on EML, lack of registration and procurement) that can support policy and advocacy efforts to strengthen the pharmaceutical sector to better ensure availability of Mifepristone, Misoprostol, and contraceptive medicines to women in reproductive age at the country-level in accordance with the national law and prevailing culture.

Improving the Quality of Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Health Services Through Integrated Supportive Supervision in Four Nigerian States.

BACKGROUND: Although the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and youth (AY) are widely recognized, the challenge remains how to integrate adolescent- and youth-friendly health services (AYFHS) effectively within a systems-based approach that is both feasible and scalable. This article provides preliminary evidence from 4 Nigerian states that sought to overcome this challenge by implementing capacity-strengthening approaches centered around a shortened quality assurance (QA) tool that has become part of the state health system's routine supportive supervision process and follow-up quality improvement (QI) activities. METHODS: A shortened QA tool was administered to assess and track the performance of 130 high-volume health facilities across 5 domains to serve its AY population with quality contraceptive services. Facility-based providers (N=198) received training on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health, AYFHS, and long-acting reversible contraceptive methods. To corroborate checklist findings, we conducted exit interviews with 754 clients (aged 15-24 years) who accessed contraceptive services from the facilities that met the World Health Organization's minimum standards for quality AYFHS. RESULTS: In the 4 states, the QA tool was applied at baseline and 2 rounds, accompanied by QI capacity strengthening after each round. At baseline, only 12% of the 130 facilities in the 4 states scored met the minimum quality standards for AYFHS. After 2 rounds, 88% of the facilities met the minimum standards. AY client volume increased over this same period. All 4 states showed great improvements; however, the achievements varied by state. The exit interview feedback supported client satisfaction with the services provided to AY. CONCLUSION: Integrating QA followed by QI within Nigeria's family planning supportive supervision system is not only feasible but also impacts the quality of AYFHS and contraceptive uptake by clients aged 15-24 years.

Implementing Quality Improvement Initiatives to Improve the Use of Adolescent- and Youth-Friendly Health Services in Zou, Benin.

INTRODUCTION: In Benin, the unmet need for family planning services is especially high for adolescent girls and youth aged 15-24 years. The Challenge Initiative (TCI) supported the health system to assess and improve the quality of adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health services and enhance contraceptive uptake in 65 service delivery points (SDPs) of the Zou department. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Between June 2019 and March 2021, TCI supported the health districts in Zou to train an assessment team to complete 3 cycles of quality assessments (QAs) using a QA checklist adapted to the local context. Based on assessment scores, the SDPs were categorized into poor, moderate, or good to excellent quality. The SDP managers developed remedial action plans after each cycle and for each SDP and followed up with supportive supervision. RESULTS: The first QA cycle showed that 52% of assessed SDPs achieved a good to excellent classification; by the second QA cycle, this reached 74%. However, the quality of adolescent- and youth-friendly health services regressed during the third QA cycle (during COVID-19 pandemic disruptions), when only 40% of SDPs achieved the good to excellent category. Between the first and second QA cycles, contraceptive uptake for adolescents and youth improved in the SDPs that had good or excellent quality of services, compared to the ones that were of lower quality (established significance level of 5% with a P value of .031). CONCLUSION: Further assessments could deepen our understanding of the internal and external factors that can affect service quality. The findings reinforce the importance of investing in quality improvement strategies to maximize the use of sexual and reproductive health services among adolescents and youth. They also underscore the need for a contextual and nuanced approach to ensure enduring results.

Characterizing provider bias in contraceptive care in Tanzania and Burkina Faso: A mixed-methods study.

Provider bias based on age, marital status, and parity may be a barrier to quality contraceptive care. However, the extent to which bias leads to disparities in care quality is not well understood. In this mixed-methods study, we used four different data sources from the same facilities to assess the extent of bias and how much it affects contraceptive care. First, we surveyed providers in Tanzania and Burkina Faso (N = 295) to assess provider attitudes about young, unmarried, and nulliparous clients. Second, mystery clients anonymously visited providers for contraceptive care and we randomly assigned the reported age, marital status, and parity of each visit (N = 306). We used data from these visits to investigate contraceptive care disparities across 3 domains: information provision and counseling quality, contraceptive method provision, and perceived treatment. Third, we complemented mystery client data with client exit surveys (N = 31,023) and client in-depth interviews (N = 36). In surveys, providers reported biased attitudes against young, unmarried, and nulliparous clients seeking contraceptives. Similarly, we found disparities according to these characteristics in the reporting of contraceptive care quality; however, we found that each characteristic affected a different quality of care domain. Among mystery clients we found age-related disparities in the provision of methods; 16/17-year-old clients were 18 and 11 percentage points less likely to perceive they could take a contraceptive method relative to 24-year-old clients in Tanzania and Burkina Faso, respectively. Unmarried mystery clients perceived worse treatment from providers compared to married clients. Nulliparous mystery clients reported lower quality contraceptive counseling than their parous counterparts. These results suggest that clients of different characteristics likely experience bias across different elements of care. Improving care quality and reducing disparities will require attention to which elements of care are deficient for different types of clients.

Improving Contraceptive Service Quality and Accessibility for Adolescents and Youth Through Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors in Four Nigerian States.

INTRODUCTION: In Nigeria, health care services and commodities have increasingly been accessed through private sector entities, including retail pharmacies and drug shops (also called proprietary patent medicine vendors [PPMVs]). However, PPMVs cannot provide long-acting or permanent methods, and concerns have been raised about their quality of services and their need to better comply with government regulations. This article describes how The Challenge Initiative's (TCI) family planning program supported 4 state governments in Nigeria to develop a model to strengthen public-private partnerships between PPMVs and primary health centers (PHCs) to leverage PPMVs to provide adolescents and youth with high-quality contraceptive information, services, and referrals to PHCs. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The intervention implemented a hub-spoke model by strengthening the linkages between neighboring PPMVs and large PHCs for delivering contraceptive services to adolescents and youth. The steps in the implementation process included: (1) introducing the intervention to state governments, (2) selecting PPMVs as spokes and high-volume PHCs as hubs, (3) conducting whole-site orientations jointly with PPMV and PHC staff, (4) strengthening referral links between PPMVs and PHCs, (5) implementing supportive supervision and coaching, and (6) strengthening client data management. TCI worked with the state and local ministry of health to improve PPMV operators' knowledge, attitudes, and skills to deliver adolescent- and youth-friendly services. LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Implementing the PPMV intervention with state governments and PHCs strengthened the public-private partnership. A functional referral system in Plateau State demonstrated significant success, enabling increased contraceptive choice and adherence to regulations for adolescents and youth. We recommend that the government strengthen the working relationship between PPMVs and PHCs, incorporate PPMVs into the routine supportive supervision of the state health system, and incorporate a referral linkage with PHCs into the design and implementation of PPMV programs.

Assessing quality of family planning counseling and its determinants in Kenya: Analysis of health facility exit interviews.

BACKGROUND: Available evidence suggests that provision of quality of care in family planning services is crucial to increasing uptake and continuation of use of contraception. Kenya achieved a modern contraceptive prevalence rate of 60% in 2018, surpassing its 2020 target of 58%. With the high prevalence, focus is geared towards improved quality of family planning services. The objective of this study is to examine the quality of family planning counseling and its associated factors in health facilities in Kenya. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2019 Kenya Performance Monitoring and Action, client exit data of women who had received family planning services. Quality of counseling was assessed using the Method Information Index Plus. We conducted a multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis of data from 3,731 women to establish determinants of receiving quality family planning services. RESULTS: The Method Information Index Plus score for higher-quality counseling was 56.7%, lower-quality counseling 32.4%, and no counseling 10.9%. Women aged 15-24 years (aOR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.56-0.86, p = 0.001) had lower odds of receiving better counseling compared to women aged 35 years and above. Those with no education (aOR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.33-0.82, p = 0.005), primary (aOR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.44-0.71, p<0.001) and secondary (aOR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.65-0.98, p = 0.028) were less likely to receive better counseling compared to those with tertiary education. Women who received long acting and reversible contraception methods (aOR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.42-2.17, p<0.001), and those who were method switchers (aOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.03-1.50, p = 0.027), had a higher likelihood of receiving better quality of counseling as compared to those on short-term methods and those who were continuers, respectively. CONCLUSION: The quality of family planning counseling in Kenya is still sub-optimal considering that some women receive no form of counseling at service delivery point. There is need to review the existing FP guidelines and training packages to increase focus on the quality of counseling services offered by health providers. Social accountability strategies that empower women to demand quality services should be included in community-level family planning interventions.

Measuring quality of family planning counselling and its effects on uptake of contraceptives in public health facilities in Uttar Pradesh, India: A cross-sectional analysis.

BACKGROUND: Quality of care in family planning traditionally focuses on promoting awareness of the broad array of contraceptive options rather than on the quality of interpersonal communication offered by family planning (FP) providers. There is a growing emphasis on person-centered contraceptive counselling, care that is respectful and focuses on meeting the reproductive needs of a couple, rather than fertility regulation. Despite the increasing global focus on person-centered care, little is known about the quality of FP care provided in low- and middle- income countries like India. This study involves the development and psychometric testing of a Quality of Family Planning Counselling (QFPC) measure, and assessment of its associations with contraceptives selected by clients subsequently. METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional survey data from N = 237 women following their FP counselling in 120 public health facilities (District Hospitals and Community Health Centers) sampled across the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. The study captured QFPC, contraceptives selected by clients post-counselling, as well as client and provider characteristics. Based on formative research and using Principal Component Analysis, we developed a 13-item measure of quality of FP counselling. We used adjusted regression models to assess the association between QFPC and contraceptive selected post-counselling. RESULTS: The QFPC measure demonstrated good internal reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.80) as well as criterion validity, as indicated by client reports of high QFPC being significantly more likely for clients with trained versus untrained counsellors. We found that each point increase in QFPC, including increasing quality of counselling, is associated with higher odds of clients selecting an intrauterine device (IUD) (aRR:1.03; 95% CI:1.01-1.05) and sterilization (aRR:1.06; 95% CI:1.03-1.08), compared to no method selected. CONCLUSIONS: High-quality FP counselling is associated with clients subsequently selecting more effective contraceptives, including IUD and sterilization, in India. High-quality counselling is also more likely among FP-trained providers, highlighting the need for focused training and monitoring of quality care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2015/09/006219. Registered 28 September 2015.

Pregnancy Risk Screening and Counseling for Women Veterans: Piloting the One Key Question in the Veterans Healthcare Administration.

OBJECTIVES: Women veterans have a high prevalence of comorbidities that increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Screening for pregnancy desires in primary care provider (PCP) visits offers an opportunity to optimize preconception health. This pilot quality improvement initiative sought to assess Veterans Healthcare Administration provider preferences on One Key Question (OKQ) implementation, identification of veterans' reproductive needs, and the effect of training on documentation in a women's primary care clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah. METHODS: We hosted OKQ training sessions for providers and staff, audio recorded group discussions on implementation barriers, and explored themes. Women veterans presenting for a PCP visit in July 2018 self-completed a paper OKQ screening tool. We calculated summary statistics on responses. We conducted a pre-post analysis, with respect to training sessions, to measure for changes in family planning documentation during PCP visits. RESULTS: Nineteen providers and staff completed the training. They acknowledged the importance, but believed that the screening tool should be completed by veterans and not be provider prompted. Forty-two women veterans completed the screening tool: 21% desired pregnancy in the next year and 26% desired contraceptive information. Chart reviews found a nonsignificant increase in current contraceptive method documentation between periods (20% vs 37%; P = 0.08), a decline in documentation of reproductive goals (22% vs 3%; P = 0.02), and no significant change in counseling. CONCLUSIONS: Veterans identify reproductive needs via the OKQ screening tool, but provider documentation did not reflect changes in care following training. Further study is necessary to develop an optimal, patient-centered tool and implementation plan to support women veterans in their reproductive goals.

Development of integration indexes to determine the extent of family planning and child immunization services integration in health facilities in urban areas of Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Integrating family planning into child immunization services may address unmet need for contraception by offering family planning information and services to postpartum women during routine child immunization visits. However, policies and programs promoting integration are often based on insubstantial or conflicting evidence about its effects on service delivery and health outcomes. While integration models vary, many studies measure integration as binary (a facility is integrated or not) rather than a multidimensional and varying continuum. It is thus challenging to ascertain the determinants and effects of integrated service delivery. This study creates Facility and Provider Integration Indexes, which measure capacity to support integrated family planning and child immunization services and applies them to analyze the extent of integration across 400 health facilities. METHODS: This study utilizes cross-sectional health facility (N = 400; 58% hospitals, 42% primary healthcare centers) and healthcare provider (N = 1479) survey data that were collected in six urban areas of Nigeria for the impact evaluation of the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative. Principal Component Analysis was used to develop Provider and Facility Integration Indexes that estimate the extent of integration in these health facilities. The Provider Integration Index measures provider skills and practices that support integrated service delivery while the Facility Integration Index measures facility norms that support integrated service delivery. Index scores range from zero (low) to ten (high). RESULTS: Mean Provider Integration Index score is 5.42 (SD 3.10), and mean Facility Integration Index score is 6.22 (SD 2.72). Twenty-three percent of facilities were classified as having low Provider Integration scores, 32% as medium, and 45% as high. Fourteen percent of facilities were classified as having low Facility Integration scores, 38% as medium, and 48% as high. CONCLUSION: Many facilities in our sample have achieved high levels of integration, while many others have not. Results suggest that using more nuanced measures of integration may (a) more accurately reflect true variation in integration within and across health facilities, (b) enable more precise measurement of the determinants or effects of integration, and (c) provide more tailored, actionable information about how best to improve integration. Overall, results reinforce the importance of utilizing more nuanced measures of facility-level integration.

Effectiveness of reproductive health counseling of women with systemic lupus erythematosus: observational cross-sectional study at an academic lupus clinic.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects women of childbearing age. To optimize fetal and maternal outcomes, effective reproductive health counseling is crucial. To analyze the effectiveness of reproductive health counseling in women with SLE and identify gaps in patient educational needs. Cross-sectional study including women aged 18-45 years fulfilling ACR'97 and/or SLICC criteria, followed at an academic lupus clinic. Participants fulfilled a questionnaire evaluating brief obstetric history, knowledge about impact of SLE in pregnancy outcomes, recall of reproductive health counseling, contraception use and reproductive healthcare received. Effectiveness of reproductive health counseling was analyzed, and potential predictors of contraceptive use (age, previous spontaneous abortion, level of knowledge about SLE and reproductive planning) were tested by multiple regression analysis. We enrolled 108 women (mean age: 34.4 ± 7.1 years; mean disease duration: 10.3 ± 7.3 years). 64.8% of the patients recalled receiving information about family planning, and 81% about contraception. Only 38% declared to be well informed about the impact of SLE on pregnancy. In this cohort, 23.2% wanted a pregnancy in the future; the remainder already had the children they wanted or planned a subsequent pregnancy. Contraceptive use was reported by 79.6% of the patients (oral contraceptives by 39.8% and intrauterine device by 20.4%), while 11.1% reported unprotected intercourses. No statistically significant predictors of contraceptive use were identified. In this academic Lupus Clinic, most SLE women of childbearing age received effective reproductive health counseling and use contraceptive methods. Their unmet needs were identified to guide optimization of patient counseling.

Measuring Service Quality and Assessing Its Relationship to Contraceptive Discontinuation: A Prospective Cohort Study in Pakistan and Uganda.

BACKGROUND: The quality of contraceptive counseling that women receive from their provider can influence their future contraceptive continuation. We examined (1) whether the quality of contraceptive service provision could be measured in a consistent way by using existing tools from 2 large-scale social franchises, and (2) whether facility quality measures based on these tools were consistently associated with contraceptive discontinuation. METHODS: We linked existing, routinely collected facility audit data from social franchise clinics in Pakistan and Uganda with client data. Clients were women aged 15-49 who initiated a modern, reversible contraceptive method from a sampled clinic. Consented participants completed an exit interview and were contacted 3, 6, and 12 months later. We collapsed indicators into quality domains using theory-based categorization, created summative quality domain scores, and used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the relationship between these quality domains and discontinuation while in need of contraception. RESULTS: The 12-month all-modern method discontinuation rate was 12.5% among the 813 enrolled women in Pakistan and 5.1% among the 1,185 women in Uganda. We did not observe similar associations between facility-level quality measures and discontinuation across these 2 settings. In Pakistan, an increase in the structural privacy domain was associated with a 60% lower risk of discontinuation, adjusting for age and baseline method (P<.001). In Uganda, an increase in the management support domain was associated with a 33% reduction in discontinuation risk, controlling for age and baseline method (P=.005). CONCLUSIONS: We were not able to leverage existing, widely used quality measurement tools to create quality domains that were consistently associated with discontinuation in 2 study settings. Given the importance of contraceptive service quality and recent advances in indicator standardization in other areas, we recommend further effort to harmonize and simplify measurement tools to measure and improve contraceptive quality of care for all.

Client-provider interaction: understanding client experience with family planning service providers through the mystery client approach in India.

The benefits of employing a rights-based approach in family planning (FP) programmes have made the client's rights to informed choices and quality care an essential part of any such programme. client-provider interaction is one of the critical components of the quality of care (QoC) framework of FP. While several studies have assessed QoC in FP services in India, very few have focused on the in-depth assessment of the interaction between the client and the provider during service delivery. The present study used the mystery client approach to assess the quality of interactions between clients and FP service providers in two of the most populous states of India: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP). Findings highlighted that the providers spent very little time with the clients, gave them information on only one or two FP methods, and rarely talked about possible side-effects of the methods. Furthermore, the providers seemed hesitant to suggest any FP method other than condoms to newly married women. This study concluded that despite being a government priority, the quality of client-provider interaction in these two states was extremely poor.

Gynecologic Considerations for Adolescents and Young Women With Cardiac Conditions: ACOG Committee Opinion, Number 813.

Congenital heart conditions are the most common type of congenital anomaly, affecting nearly 1% of U.S. births, or approximately 40,000 neonates, each year. As more female patients with congenital heart disease enter adolescence and adulthood, there is a growing need to address reproductive health in this population. Addressing contraceptive needs is particularly important for adolescents and young women with congenital heart disease, many of whom may have limited knowledge about how their condition or medications may affect their long-term health, including reproductive health. Decisions regarding the most appropriate contraceptive method require discussion of future pregnancy desires and personal preferences, as well as critical assessment of the patient's underlying disease and the relative risks and benefits of the contraceptive option. Because of the morbidity associated with pregnancy in individuals with cardiac conditions, the initiation of contraception should not be delayed due to concerns about potential contraindication. For those patients with valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, or hypertension, it is reasonable to initiate a progestin-only method until clarification of the safety of an estrogen-containing method is determined in conjunction with the patient's cardiologist. Contraceptive counseling should be patient-centered, free of coercion, and should address the most common misperceptions about contraceptive methods in a way that is age-appropriate and compatible with the patient's health literacy. To optimize maternal and infant health outcomes, planning for future pregnancies in these patients should be done in collaboration with maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists and cardiology specialists. Patients who continue their pregnancy should be referred to a pregnancy heart team.

Gynecologic Considerations for Adolescents and Young Women With Cardiac Conditions: ACOG Committee Opinion Summary, Number 813.

Congenital heart conditions are the most common type of congenital anomaly, affecting nearly 1% of U.S. births, or approximately 40,000 neonates, each year. As more female patients with congenital heart disease enter adolescence and adulthood, there is a growing need to address reproductive health in this population. Addressing contraceptive needs is particularly important for adolescents and young women with congenital heart disease, many of whom may have limited knowledge about how their condition or medications may affect their long-term health, including reproductive health. Decisions regarding the most appropriate contraceptive method require discussion of future pregnancy desires and personal preferences, as well as critical assessment of the patient's underlying disease and the relative risks and benefits of the contraceptive option. Because of the morbidity associated with pregnancy in individuals with cardiac conditions, the initiation of contraception should not be delayed due to concerns about potential contraindication. For those patients with valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, or hypertension, it is reasonable to initiate a progestin-only method until clarification of the safety of an estrogen-containing method is determined in conjunction with the patient's cardiologist. Contraceptive counseling should be patient-centered, free of coercion, and should address the most common misperceptions about contraceptive methods in a way that is age-appropriate and compatible with the patient's health literacy. To optimize maternal and infant health outcomes, planning for future pregnancies in these patients should be done in collaboration with maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists and cardiology specialists. Patients who continue their pregnancy should be referred to a pregnancy heart team.

Implementing social accountability for contraceptive services: lessons from Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence shows that social accountability contributes to improving health care services, with much promise for addressing women's barriers in contraceptive care. Yet little is known about how social accountability works in the often-complex context of sexual and reproductive health, particularly as sex and reproduction can be sensitive topics in the open and public formats typical of social accountability. This paper explores how social accountability operates in the highly gendered and complex context of contraceptive care. METHODS: This exploratory research uses a case study approach to provide a more grounded understanding of how social accountability processes operate in the context of contraceptive information and services. We observed two social accountability projects that predominantly focused on contraceptive care in Uganda over a year. Five instruments were used to capture information from different source materials and multiple respondents. In total, one hundred and twenty-eight interviews were conducted and over 1000 pages of project documents were collected. Data were analyzed and compiled into four case studies that provide a thick description of how these two projects operated. RESULTS: The case studies show the critical role of information, dialogue and negotiation in social accountability in the context of contraceptive care. Improved community and health system relationships, community empowerment, provider and health system responsiveness and enhanced availability and access to services were reported in both projects. There were also changes in how different actors related to themselves and to each other, and contraceptive care, a previously taboo topic, became a legitimate area for public dialogue. CONCLUSION: The study found that while social accountability in the context of contraceptive services is indeed sensitive, it can be a powerful tool to dissolving resistance to family planning and facilitating a more productive discourse on the topic.

Quality assessment in primary health care: Adolescent and Youth Friendly Service, a Mozambican case study.

INTRODUCTION: despite the Mozambican Ministry of Health's efforts to deliver family planning to all girls of childbearing age, the adolescent pregnancy rate remains high. The Adolescent and Youth Friendly Service (AYFS), integrated into overall primary health care programs throughout the country, aims to reverse this situation. Our study objective was to assess this health care service's quality in its location in Marrere Health Centre, Nampula, northern Mozambique, using clients' perspective. METHODS: we implemented a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study sampling 124 individuals, who had recently accessed the AYFS at Marrere Health Centre. Data were collected through a questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale in questions regarding satisfaction level (i.e. always, most times, sometimes, few times, never) and additional open answer questions to gain greater specific understanding. RESULTS: a total of 126 users of the AYFS were evaluated, all from the Emacua ethnic-linguistic group. 85 (67%) were adolescents (<19 years), 78.2% female. The mean age was 17.6 years. We found an average of 0.54 pregnancies per woman and 87 participants (69%) never had a pregnancy; of 39 (31%) who had been pregnant, 17 (44%) were able to report the date of the first prenatal visit, on average performed at week 16 (2nd trimester), though with 9 (53%) having performed it during the first trimester. Spontaneous and induced abortions were reported respectively in 4 and 34 cases, respectively, and none with adolescents. The "overall satisfaction" rate was more frequent in both groups, being answered by 93.8% of youth and adults (>= 19 years) and 72.0% of adolescents, a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: while most users are satisfied with the services there was, however, some sharp criticism. Health professionals' practice with the protocol varied, and there were significant deficiencies in information and communication with users. Open communication within families and information reinforcement about sexual and reproductive health and male participation in family planning were found to be in need of strengthening. Our recommendations include reinforcing health professional's training to protect adolescents and young people' sexual health, an important strategy in primary health care to achieve universal health coverage.

Adolescent girls and young women: Policy-to-implementation gaps for addressing sexual and reproductive health needs in South Africa.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remain inadequate - both globally and in South Africa (SA). We systematically scoped the available policies and guidelines for SRH-related policy for AGYW in SA. We found many available policies and guidelines to address issues of family planning, HIV prevention and care and antenatal and maternal care. Despite the wealth of guidance, SA's high rates of pregnancy and HIV transmission continue unabated. Our policy review and analysis identified issues for researchers and policymakers to consider when developing and implementing programmes to improve SRH services. We suggest that considering national policies alongside evidence of what is effective, as well as contextual barriers to and enablers of strategies to address AGYW needs for SRH, are among the key steps to addressing the policy-to-implementation gap.

[Task sharing in family planning in Burkina Faso: quality of services delivered by the delegate]. / Délégation des tâches dans le domaine de la planification familiale au Burkina Faso: qualité des services offerts par le délégataire.

INTRODUCTION: we conducted a pilot study for transferring skills for intrauterine device (IUD) insertion and implants to primary health care workers (PHCWs) as well as to provide injectable contraceptives to community health workers (CHWs) in 20 Health Centers in the Tougan Health District. This was aimed to increase access to contraceptive methods in Burkina Faso. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to assess the quality of family planning (PF) services offered by these delegated (PHCWs and CHWs). METHODS: we conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, analytical study. Data collection was based on quantitative and qualitative methods. It included the 20 health centers in the study area and all providers (54) involved in contraceptive product supply (delegators and delegatees). Nineteen (19) recipients including 10 new contraceptive users were interviewed. The method of data collection included the observation of FP services and of the working environment, document review and individual interviews. Data were analyzed using Epi info 7 and Open Epi version 3.01. software. Chi-square test and Student's t-test were used to determine whether there was significant difference between the quality of PF services offered by the delegators and that of the delegatees. RESULTS: PF service quality score in the study area was 73% for the delegators' vs 69% for the delegates. There was no statistically significant difference between these scores. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the quality score of community health workers (75.8%) and the quality score of counselors (delegators; 87.5%) (P <0.05). It was the same for quality score determining who was eligible for implants. The quality score of PHCWs was higher than that of delegators: 79% for delegators, 64% for delegatees. CONCLUSION: this purpose of this study was to improve the geographic coverage for long-acting contraceptive methods. Under certain conditions (skills-building, monitoring, coaching), it is possible to extend the transferring of skills for long-acting contraceptive methods to PHCWs as well as the provision of injectable contraceptives to CHWs, while maintaining a satisfactory level of FP service quality.

Prevalence of Postpartum Family Planning Service Coverage in Selected Referral Facilities of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists jointly with the Nepalese government and with the support from the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology has implemented an initiative to institutionalize postpartum family planning services in selected major referral facilities of Nepal to address the gap of low uptake of postpartum family planning in Nepal. The aim of the study is to find the prevalence of the service coverage of postpartum contraception in the selected facilities. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in seven major referral facilities across Nepal. Data were collected from the hospital records of all women who delivered in these facilities between October 2018 and March 2019. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from Nepal Health Research Council. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Among the 29,072 deliveries from all the facilities, postpartum family planning counseling coverage was 27,301 (93.9%). The prevalence of uptake of Postpartum Intrauterine Device is 1581 (5.4%) and female sterilization is 1830 (6.3%). In total 11387 mothers (52.2%) had the intention to choose a postpartum family planning method. However, 36% of mothers neither used nor had the intention to choose a postpartum family planning method. CONCLUSIONS: The coverage of Postpartum Intrauterine Device counseling service coverage in Nepal is higher in 2018 as compared to 2016-2017 and in other countries implementing Postpartum Intrauterine Device initiatives. However, the prevalence of service coverage of immediate Postpartum Family Planning methods, mainly Postpartum Intrauterine Device in 2018 is lower in Nepal as compared to 2016-2017, and other countries implementing Postpartum Intrauterine Device initiative. More efforts are needed to encourage mothers delivering in the facilities to use the postpartum family planning method.