TY - JOUR T1 - Strengthening Social and Behavior Change in Postabortion Care: A Call to Action for Health Professionals JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - S215 LP - S221 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-18-00307 VL - 7 IS - Supplement 2 AU - Erin Mielke AU - Hope Hempstone AU - Ashlie Williams Y1 - 2019/08/22 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/7/Supplement_2/S215.abstract N2 - Social and behavior change approaches have shown promise for addressing the demand- and supply-side challenges in postabortion care. As implementers seek to improve the quality of postabortion care, systematically integrating long-standing models and emerging approaches, including behavioral economics, human-centered design, and attribute-based models of behavior change, can promote positive health outcomes.Unsafe abortion is the fifth leading direct cause of maternal deaths globally and in developing countries.1 Postabortion care (PAC) programs, encompassing both facility-based and community-based interventions, are essential to address complications of induced and spontaneous abortion, prevent subsequent unintended pregnancies, and ensure healthy timing and spacing of intended pregnancies. The 3 key components of PAC programs are (1) emergency treatment for complications of spontaneous or induced abortion, (2) family planning counseling and service provision, and (3) community engagement.2 However, access to and provision of high-quality PAC are compromised in many settings by pervasive social stigma around induced and spontaneous abortion, provider bias, and complex counseling requirements. These barriers impede timely care seeking for complications of abortion and limit access to the full range of voluntary family planning methods during PAC. Social and behavior change, which is widely recognized to be a key component of effective reproductive health programming, offers particular potential to improve the quality and impact of PAC. Social and behavior change approaches include outreach and community mobilization, counseling and interpersonal communication, behavioral “nudges,” and use of digital platforms targeting clients or providers, among many others. Robust application of these approaches can motivate health-seeking behaviors before, during, and after the time a client enters a health facility for PAC and shape the care a client receives in a facility. Achieving positive outcomes among PAC clients depends on the extent to which programs (1) attend to the varied needs of different client groups and (2) support effective … ER -