Utilizing All Health System Contacts to Offer Postpartum Family Planning (PPFP) in Ethiopia

Jhpiego

Status: Completed

Conditions: Prenatal Care; Contraception; Contraceptive Usage; Postpartum Family Planning; Pregnancy

Treatments: Behavioral: HEWs provide PPFP counseling and services; Behavioral: Volunteers (Development Army) promote PPFP; Behavioral: Health centers provide PPFP counseling and services; Behavioral: HEWs and volunteers track PPFP; Behavioral: Health centers conduct data reviews

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT03585361

IRB00007143

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is investigating whether use of postpartum family planning (PPFP) increases if messages on PPFP and, if desired, PPFP services are integrated into as many contacts as possible between women/couples and the health system during pregnancy and the first year after birth. Health system contacts may be at health facilities (including antenatal, labor and delivery, postnatal, and child immunization visits) or, with Ethiopia's Health Extension Program, at households or health posts in the community.

Full description

This implementation research study used a quasi-experimental, mixed method design with two arms. Two districts in Arsi Zone in Ethiopia's Oromia Region (Hitosa and Lode Hitosa) were selected for the study. In each district, one primary health care unit (PHCU) - a public health center and its satellite health posts - was randomly assigned to the intervention arm and one to the comparison arm.

PPFP counseling, services, and documentation were strengthened through training and supervision at health centers in both intervention and comparison PHCUs, consistent with Government of Ethiopia policies and guidelines. Only the intervention arm received the community-based intervention. The community-based intervention involved training Health Extension Workers (HEWs) who staff health posts, make outreach home visits, and support volunteers under the government's Development Army. HEWs were trained on PPFP with a refresher on implant insertion. The community invention also involved giving tools to HEWs and volunteers to help them track women's PPFP preferences and pregnancy risk.

The study objectives are to:

1. Assess the effect of systematically integrating PPFP messages into contacts with the health system on uptake of PPFP through 12 months postpartum using a 'dose-response' analysis based on the number of contacts
2. Estimate the added effect of the community-based intervention by comparing uptake of PPFP through 12 months postpartum in intervention and comparison sites
3. Explore the acceptability and feasibility of tracking PPFP and reviewing data at health centers and HEWs and volunteers using record keeping and review processes to track women's decision-making and contraceptive use from pregnancy through 12 months postpartum
4. Explore factors influencing women's/couples' adoption of PPFP during the first 12 months postpartum.

Enrollment: 776 patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Women

   • Pregnant at time of enrollment
   • Willing to give informed consent

2. Provider interviews

   • Providers providing PPFP messages or services in study area
   • Willing to give informed consent

Exclusion criteria

1. Women

   • Not pregnant at time of enrollment
   • Living outside study area

2. Provider interviews

   • Not working in antenatal, labor & delivery, postnatal, or immunization care

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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776 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Health centers provide PPFP counseling and services, implementing current Government of Ethiopia policy and standard of care (including still experimental screening and intra-facility referrals of women bringing infants for immunization). Also, health centers conduct data reviews of PPFP counseling, intra-facility referrals and uptake data. At community level, HEWs provide PPFP counseling and services throughout continuum of care, volunteers (Development Army) promote PPFP, and HEWs and volunteers track PPFP method choice and uptake.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Health centers conduct data reviews

Behavioral: HEWs provide PPFP counseling and services

Behavioral: Volunteers (Development Army) promote PPFP

Behavioral: Health centers provide PPFP counseling and services

Behavioral: HEWs and volunteers track PPFP

Comparison

Active Comparator group

Description:

Health centers provide PPFP counseling and services, implementing current Government of Ethiopia policy and standard of care (including still experimental screening and intra-facility referrals of women bringing infants for immunization). Health centers conduct data reviews.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Health centers conduct data reviews

Behavioral: Health centers provide PPFP counseling and services