RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge and experience of, and desire for, emergency contraception (EC) in postpartum women in Haiti, and to determine the knowledge and practices of EC providers. METHODS: As part of a larger postpartum family planning study, 6 focus groups were conducted with postpartum women (n=33), 3 were conducted with providers (n=22), and a questionnaire was given to postpartum women (n=250). RESULTS: Of the 249 women who completed the survey, 145 (58.2%) were aware of the concept of EC as an emergency measure in the postcoital period. Of these, 130 (89.7%) had knowledge of traditional methods only. Twenty-eight (11.2%) women had used some form of EC in the past, but only 2 (0.8%) reported ever using a modern form of EC. Providers reported that EC was offered to women only in cases of sexual assault. Their impression was that there was no demand for EC. CONCLUSION: Awareness and use of EC is low in the context of high unmet need. The results demonstrate a need for improved education and provision of modern effective EC as part of the constellation of family planning choices.
Assuntos
Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Anticoncepção Pós-Coito/estatística & dados numéricos , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Necessidades e Demandas de Serviços de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Adolescente , Adulto , Serviços de Planejamento Familiar/métodos , Feminino , Grupos Focais , Haiti , Humanos , Medicina Tradicional/métodos , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto , Período Pós-Parto , Gravidez , Gravidez não Desejada/psicologia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge of, attitudes toward, and practices regarding postpartum contraception among healthcare providers and postpartum women in northern Haiti. METHODS: Six focus groups were conducted with postpartum patients and 3 were conducted with maternity service providers; a structured questionnaire was then administered to postpartum patients. RESULTS: In total, 282 postpartum women were included in the present study: 249 in the survey and 33 in focus groups. Although 97.9% of women expressed a desire for family-planning counseling before discharge from the postpartum ward, only 6.0% of women received such counseling. Most women wanted to space or limit their pregnancies; 79.8% of women, including those with only 1 child, wanted to choose a contraceptive method before discharge. Providers expressed concern for the volume of induced abortions and maternal deaths within the hospital, which many felt could be averted by improving postpartum family planning. However, there was no postpartum contraceptive counseling or method provision in the present setting, and no providers had experience in initiating methods immediately postpartum. CONCLUSION: Efforts to integrate family planning into postpartum care services could help to reduce the unmet need for family planning, and help patients and providers reach their goals.