RESUMO
Since the introduction of subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) in 2018, Malawi has achieved national coverage of trained providers in the public sector and steady increases in uptake of DMPA-SC. However, the rate of clients opting to self-inject DMPA-SC has remained lower than early acceptability studies suggested. Providers play an instrumental role in building client confidence to self-inject through counselling/training. This cross-sectional qualitative study explored the perspectives of providers and injectable clients on the integration of self-injection into contraceptive counselling, to identify best practices and potential gaps. The study was conducted at public sector sites in three districts (Nkhotakota, Mzimba South, Zomba) in Malawi. In-depth interviews were conducted with provider-administered injectable clients, self-injecting clients, and DMPA-SC trained providers. All providers interviewed reported successfully integrating self-injection into their approach. During group health education sessions, some providers reported focusing on benefits of self-injection to spark interest in the method, and then follow that up with more in-depth information during individual counselling. Due to time pressures, a minority of providers reported replacing individual counselling with small-group counselling and limited use of elements such as visualizations and demonstrations. Most providers skipped client practice on inanimate objects, feeling this was either not necessary or inappropriate given stock constraints. Self-injection clients tended to credit their decision to take up SI to receiving lengthy, comprehensive counselling/training, often inclusive of reassuring messages, visualizations, demonstrations and sometimes repeated trainings over time. Provider-administered clients tended to credit their lack of uptake of self-injection to fear and lack of confidence, often blaming themselves instead of the quality of their counselling/training-even while many felt their counselling/training had been rushed or incomplete. Providers should be supported to overcome time- and resource-pressures to invest in counselling/training best practices, to ensure sufficient support is provided to clients interested in self-injection.
RESUMO
Introduction: Malawi has made progress in expanding access to modern contraceptive methods over the last decade, including the introduction of depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate subcutaneous (DMPA-SC) in 2018. DMPA-SC offers women the option to self-inject at home and may benefit adolescents with unmet need for contraception due to its discretion. This qualitative study was conducted to assess perspectives and preferences of adolescents with unmet need for contraception regarding the self-injection option of DMPA-SC in Malawi. Methods: Six focus group discussions were conducted involving 36 adolescents with unmet need for contraception (aged between 15 and 19 years, married and never-married) in October 2021 in three districts in Malawi. Data were coded inductively and analyzed thematically, using Dedoose software. Two validation workshops were conducted with other adolescents with unmet need in February 2022 to elucidate the preliminary findings. Results: DMPA-SC attributes such as discretion and reduced facility visits were ranked most appealing by both married and never-married adolescents, particularly for adolescents needing covert contraception use. Concerns about self-injection included fear of pain, injury, and doubt in ability to self-inject. Never-married adolescents had additional concerns around privacy at home if using covertly, and fears of affecting long-term fertility. Overall, health surveillance assistants (community-based healthcare workers) were voted to be the most private, convenient, and affordable sources for potential DMPA-SC self-injection training. Conclusion: Self-injection of DMPA-SC may offer an appealing option for adolescents in Malawi, aligning most closely to the needs of married adolescents who may wish to delay or space pregnancies conveniently and discreetly, and who also may face fewer access barriers to receiving self-injection training from health care providers. Access barriers including stigma and concerns about privacy at home for adolescents needing to use contraception covertly would need to be adequately addressed if never-married adolescents were to consider taking up this option.
