More articles from ORIGINAL ARTICLE
- Intensive Group Learning and On-Site Services to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Young Adults in Liberia: A Randomized Evaluation of HealthyActions
Combining intensive group learning and provision of on-site reproductive health services through an existing alternative basic education program increased use of contraception and HIV testing and counseling among young out-of-school Liberians.
- Successful Implementation of a Multicountry Clinical Surveillance and Data Collection System for Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa: Findings and Lessons Learned
Despite resource and logistical constraints, International Medical Corps cared for thousands at 5 Ebola treatment units in Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2015 while collecting hundreds of data points on each patient. To facilitate data collection and global reporting in future humanitarian responses, standardized data forms and databases, with clear definitions of clinical and epidemiological variables, should be developed and adopted by the international community.
- Safety and Acceptability of Community-Based Distribution of Injectable Contraceptives: A Pilot Project in Mozambique
Trained community health workers, including traditional birth attendants (TBAs), safely and effectively administered injectables in northern Mozambique; two-thirds of the women choosing injectables had never used contraception before. Including TBAs in the Ministry of Health’s recent task sharing strategy can improve rural women’s access to injectables and help meet women’s demand for contraception.
- Applying a Total Market Lens: Increased IUD Service Delivery Through Complementary Public- and Private-Sector Interventions in 4 Countries
Between 2013 and 2014, IUD services provided to women increased more than threefold–from 22,893 to 79,162–in 417 public facilities in Guatemala, Laos, Mali, and Uganda through a Population Services International pilot that engaged the public sector alongside existing private-sector interventions within an informed choice context. Based on family planning market analyses, the country-specific interventions focused on strengthening policy, service delivery, supply chain management, and demand promotion.
- Ugandan Women’s View of the IUD: Generally Favorable but Many Have Misperceptions About Health Risks
Women in Uganda are aware of the IUD and think it is an effective method, but many think it can damage the womb or make a woman infertile. Addressing public misperceptions through interpersonal communication and the mass media, and provider misperceptions through training, can help to build demand for the IUD in Uganda.
- Expanding Access to a New, More Affordable Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System in Kenya: Service Delivery Costs Compared With Other Contraceptive Methods and Perspectives of Key Opinion Leaders
At a public-sector transfer price of US$15 per unit, the direct service delivery cost of Medicines360's levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG IUS) per couple-years of protection is comparable with the cost of other contraceptive products commonly procured in Kenya. Interviews with key opinion leaders suggest that introduction of a more affordable LNG IUS could help increase demand for the method.
- Increasing Uptake of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Cambodia Through a Voucher Program: Evidence From a Difference-in-Differences Analysis
By reducing financial and information barriers, a family planning voucher program in Cambodia significantly increased contraceptive choice and uptake of more effective long-acting reversible contraceptives among poor women and women with the least education. Without vouchers, many of these women would not have used contraception or would not have chosen their preferred method.
- Vouchers in Fragile States: Reducing Barriers to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception in Yemen and Pakistan
Vouchers for family planning in Pakistan and Yemen reduced barriers, such as cost and availability, and encouraged public and private providers to improve skills, leading to an increase in uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives and permanent methods.
- Strengthening Postabortion Family Planning Services in Ethiopia: Expanding Contraceptive Choice and Improving Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception
In Ethiopia, a comprehensive strategy to improve postabortion family planning services has produced overall improvement in the uptake of postabortion family planning and a rise in the choice of more effective long-acting reversible contraceptives to produce a more balanced method mix.
- Rapid Contraceptive Uptake and Changing Method Mix With High Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Crisis-Affected Populations in Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Offering a broad choice of contraceptives can rapidly expand use in crisis-affected settings, particularly when the choice includes long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). Over 5 years, the governments of Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with support from an NGO, provided nearly 85,000 new clients with contraceptives. LARC users, which included an increasing number of IUD users, accounted for 73%.