Health Topics
- Recognizing and Addressing the Contraceptive Hesitancy-Acceptability Continuum: Adopting Lessons Learned From the Immunization Field
We propose a new framework that builds from vaccine hesitancy concepts and findings for the family planning community to better conceptualize, measure, and address the major drivers of contraceptive hesitancy and acceptability.
- Advocating for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Central Asia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in Central Asia face challenges due to the current sociopolitical context, and there is a pressing need for legal and policy reforms to align with the International Conference on Population and Development agenda.
- Hybrid Mentorship of Medical Laboratories to Achieve ISO 15189:2012 Accreditation in Malawi: The University of Maryland Malawi Experience
We describe a valuable hybrid mentorship and training model for supporting medical laboratories in low-resource settings in improving laboratory quality management systems and achieving accreditation.
- No Matter When or Where: Addressing the Need for Continuous Family Planning Services During Shocks and Stressors
Global progress on meeting family planning needs is threatened by worsening, intersecting crises. We call on global, national, and local partners to strengthen emergency preparedness to facilitate continuous family planning services, no matter when or where they are needed, to support sexual and reproductive health.
- Early Outcomes of Mental Health Screening Integrated Into Routine HIV Care in Malawi
Mental health screening for people living with HIV, conducted mostly by lay cadre health workers, was successfully integrated into antiretroviral therapy clinics in Malawi.
- Documenting the Provision of Emergency Contraceptive Pills Through Youth-Serving Delivery Channels: Exploratory Mixed Methods Research on Malawi’s Emergency Contraception Strategy
Emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) uptake may increase for young people, first-time users, and those living in rural areas of Malawi by offering the method through public, youth-serving channels, especially youth clubs and community health workers. A national strategy focused specifically on this product can help grow ECP demand; however, the supply chain for ECPs must be strengthened to meet the additional demand.
- Improving Maternity Care Where Home Births Are Still the Norm: Establishing Local Birthing Centers in Guatemala That Incorporate Traditional Midwives
Comadronas (traditional midwives) strongly advocate for and participate in attending their clients’ births in local birthing centers in rural Guatemala, where Indigenous women have previously preferred home births because of geographic, sociocultural, and economic barriers to giving birth at a higher-level health facility.
- Establishment of the First Institution-Based Poison Information Center in Nepal Through a Multilateral International Partnership
Through an innovative local and international partnership model, the first institution-based poison information center in Nepal was established in response to a mandate from the Nepal government, the high burden of toxicological emergencies in Nepal, and the known economic and health benefits of poison information centers.
- Promoting Male Involvement in Family Planning: Insights From the No-Scalpel Vasectomy Program of Davao City, Philippines
The no-scalpel vasectomy program in Davao City, Philippines, serves as a promising model for engaging men in family planning and addressing gender disparities in such initiatives.
- Learnings From an Innovative Model to Expand Access to a New and Underutilized Nonhormonal Contraceptive Diaphragm
Experiences with early introduction of the contoured Caya diaphragm provide a new model for increasing access to new and underutilized methods, especially through private-sector partners.