Quality of care among Jamaican private physicians offering family planning services

ABSTRACT

The National Family Planning Board is the agency of Government empowered to prepare, carry out and promote family planning programs in Jamaica. The Board has prioritized the expansion and sustainability of family planning services in large part through encouraging the participation of the private sector. To enhance the availability and effectiveness of private physician family planning services, information was collected on the service practices of 90 percent of physicians, through face to face interviews. Bruce's framework was used to evaluate the findings of the study. The study indicated that (1) A wide variety of contraceptives are available. (2) Basic equipment and adequate supplies are in place for the provision of services. (3) Provider bias, inapproriate contraindicators and process and scheduling hurdles exist. The major recommendations relate to the (1) Revision of norms and guidelines for all contraceptives. (2) Continuation of contraceptive technology updates for private physicians. (3) Revision of legal/regulatory barriers which restrict access to some contraceptives for certain target groups (AU)