Support for provision of early medical abortion by mid-level providers in Bihar and Jharkhand,India

Medical abortion has the potential to increase the number, cadre and geographic distribution of providers offering safe abortion services in India. This study reports on a sample of family planning providers (263 mid-level providers, 54 obstetrician-gynaecologists and 88 general physicians) from a 2004 survey of health facilities and their staff in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. It identified factors associated with mid-level provider interest in training for early medical abortion provision, and examined whether obstetrician-gynaecologists and general physicians supported non-physicians being trained to provide early medical abortion and what factors influenced their attitudes. Findings demonstrate high levels of mid-level provider interest and reasonable physician support. Among mid-level providers, being male, having a more permissive attitude towards abortion and current provision of abortion using any pharmacological drugs were associated with greater interest in attending training. Mid-level providers based in private health facilities were less likely to show interest. More permissive attitude towards abortion and current medical abortion provision using mifepristone-misoprostol were inversely associated with obstetrician-gynaecologists' support for non-physician provision of medical abortion. General physicians based in private/other health facilities were less supportive than those in public facilities. Study findings strengthen the case for policymakers to expand the pool of cadres that can legally provide safe abortion care in India.     

Making Abortions Safe: A Matter of Good Public Health Policy and Practice

Globally, abortion mortality constitutes at least 13% of maternal mortality. Unsafe abortion procedures, untrained abortion providers, restrictive abortion laws and high mortality and morbidity from abortion tend to occur together. Preventing abortion mortality and morbidity in countries where they remain high is a matter of good public health policy, based on good medical practice, and an important part of initiatives to make pregnancy safer. This paper examines the changes in policy and health service provision required to make abortions safe. It is based on a wide-ranging review of published and unpublished sources. In order to be effective, public health measures must take into account the reasons why women have abortions, the kind of abortion services required and at what stages of pregnancy, the types of abortion service providers needed, and training, cost and counselling issues. The transition from unsafe to safe abortions demands: changes at national policy level; abortion training for service providers; the provision of services at the appropriate primary level health service delivery points; and ensuring that women access these services instead of those of untrained providers. Public awareness that abortion services are available is a crucial element of this transition, particularly among adolescent and single women, who tend to have less access to reproductive health services generally.     

Post-abortion family planning counselling practice among abortion service providers in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Objective: To assess the practice of post-abortion family planning (PAFP) counselling among Chinese abortion service providers, and identify the influencing factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted between July and September 2013 among abortion services providers in 30 provinces in China. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors that influenced PAFP counselling.

Results: 94% of the 579 service providers responded to the questionnaire in the survey. The median age was 39 years (range 20–72), and 95% were females. 92% providers showed a positive attitude and had promoted the PAFP counselling services; however, only 57% spent more than 10?min for it. The overall knowledge on PAFP was limited to the participants. After adjusting for potential confounding factors: providers from the middle region (compared with ‘east region’, OR_adj?=_?3.33, 95% CI: 2.12–5.21) conducted more PAFP counseling; providers with more knowledge (OR_adj?=_?2.08, 95% CI: 1.38–3.15) provided more counseling; and compared with ‘middle school and below’, providers with higher education gave more counseling [OR_adj(95% CI)] for ‘college’, ‘university’ and ‘master/doctor’ [1.99 (1.01,3.92), 2.32 (1.22,4.40) and 2.34 (1.06,5.17), respectively].

Conclusions: The majority of providers could provide PAFP counselling to women undergone an abortion, but some of them had insufficient time to make it available. Education, knowledge about fertility and reproductive health and residence region were the main factors influencing the practice. Training of health providers and integrating family planning as a part of abortion services are essential to provide adequate PAFP to abortion seekers, thereby reducing the risk of unintended pregnancy.     

The reality of unsafe abortion in a rural community in South India

Though the law in India has permitted medical termination of pregnancy on broad legal grounds for over two decades, unsafe abortions carried out by unqualified providers show no signs of decreasing. A community-based study was undertaken in rural South India to determine the prevalence of induced abortion, women's reasons for seeking abortion, who was providing abortions and whether the procedures were safe or unsafe. A cross-sectional study design was used that included focus group discussions with 88 women and a quantitative survey with 195 married women who had a birth interval of two or more years since their last pregnancy. There was a high prevalence of induced abortion (28 per cent) among the study population, mainly among women who were not using contraception. Most abortions were carried out in the first trimester of pregnancy and unqualified practitioners performed 65 per cent of terminations. The preference for illegal, untrained providers in a country where abortion is legally available exposes the ambiguity in the status of abortion and how inadequacies in legal service provision have served to promote and sustain unsafe providers and practices. An integrated approach to family planning and reproductive health which includes abortion is imperative if the reproductive health status of Indian women is to be improved. The poor utilisation of existing government facilities suggests the need for improving the quality of services, expansion of abortion facilities and the introduction of safer methods of abortion. To do this, a re-examination and re-framing of aspects of the 1971 abortion law is needed.     

Health consequences of unsafe abortions

Maternal morbidity and mortality due to complications of unsafe abortion constitute a major public health concern in many countries. It is estimated that of the approximately 150,000 unwanted pregnancies that are terminated every day by induced abortion, 1/3 are performed under unsafe conditions, resulting in some 500 deaths every day. In many developing countries a substantial proportion of the limited national reproductive health care resources are spent on the management of abortion-related problems. To evaluate further the public health consequences of unsafe abortions, the Programme is supporting hospital-based studies of complications of abortion and their cost to the health care system in countries where safe abortion is not readily available. The studies employ a core protocol adapted to local conditions. Bangladesh, Chile, Ethiopia, and Thailand have completed such research, and similar studies are currently under way in 4 more countries--Benin, Brazil, Senegal, and Uganda. In Bangladesh, 1301 cases of abortion-related diagnoses admitted to hospital were included in the study. Some 46% were judged to have certainly had an induced abortion and another 16% were judged as possible cases of induced abortion. While no deaths occurred in women with spontaneous abortions, 18 of those who had had an induced abortion died. More hospital resources in terms of duration of stay, antibiotics, and blood were spent on cases of induced abortion compared to cases of spontaneous abortion. The study also found that on average abortion cases occupied hospital beds for a much longer duration compared to other obstetric cases.     

WHO guidelines and the role of the physician in task sharing in safe abortion care

Globally, many women undergo unsafe abortion, although abortion is extremely safe when done in accordance with recommended guidelines. Hence, many women suffer from abortion-related complications, and unsafe abortion remains a major cause of maternal mortality. The high percentage of unsafe abortion is attributed to the inability of women to access safe abortion services. A critical barrier to access is the lack of trained providers. To address this problem, task sharing and the expansion of health worker roles in abortion care have become a public health strategy to mitigate health worker shortages and reduce unsafe abortion. This chapter provides an overview of the WHO guidance on task sharing in safe abortion care, discusses the special role of physicians, and highlights the complexity of implementing task sharing by analyzing the findings from six country case studies.     

Reproductive health and human rights.

Reproductive health programs should adopt an approach based on human rights at the levels of clinical management as well as national policy, especially those programs responsible for abortion and post-abortion care. Resource-poor women face greater maternal mortality and morbidity, suffer continuous risk because of a lack of access to adequate reproductive health services, and are likelier than more affluent women to resort to unsafe, inaccessible, and/or unaffordable abortion services. The public health and medical communities are highly effective when providing safe abortion procedures and treatment in the event of complications. Efforts must be continued to develop strategies to prevent unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and abortion-related deaths; to treat abortion complications; to broaden the types of medical and health professionals who are allowed to perform abortions; and to enhance training for abortion providers.     

Knowledge, attitude and practice of private medical practitioners in Calabar towards post-abortion care

This study examined the knowledge, attitude and practice of private medical practitioners in Calabar on abortion, post-abortion case and post-abortion family planning. Forty eight private practitioners who were proprietors of private clinics in the city were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results showed that 22.9% of the doctors routinely terminate unwanted pregnancies when requested to do so by women, while 83.3% of them treat women who experience complications of unsafe abortion. The major reasons given by some of the doctors for not terminating unwanted pregnancies were religious, moral and ethical considerations rather than respect for the Nigerian abortion law. Only 18.2% of the doctors use standard procedures such as manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) for the management of patients with abortion and abortion complications. A good number of them did not routinely practice integrated post-abortion family planning and STDs management. There is need for a comprehensive programme of retraining of private medical practitioners in Calabar on the principles and practices of safe abortion, post-abortion care and family planning. These aspects of reproductive health need to be integrated into the medical training curricula in Nigeria. It is believed that this approach would help reduce the present high rate of abortion-related morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.     

Unsafe Abortion: Unnecessary Maternal Mortality

Every year, worldwide, about 42 million women with unintended pregnancies choose abortion, and nearly half of these procedures, 20 million, are unsafe. Some 68,000 women die of unsafe abortion annually, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality (13%). Of the women who survive unsafe abortion, 5 million will suffer long-term health complications. Unsafe abortion is thus a pressing issue. Both of the primary methods for preventing unsafe abortion—less restrictive abortion laws and greater contraceptive use—face social, religious, and political obstacles, particularly in developing nations, where most unsafe abortions (97%) occur. Even where these obstacles are overcome, women and health care providers need to be educated about contraception and the availability of legal and safe abortion, and women need better access to safe abortion and postabortion services. Otherwise, desperate women, facing the financial burdens and social stigma of unintended pregnancy and believing they have no other option, will continue to risk their lives by undergoing unsafe abortions.Key words: Unsafe abortions, Maternal mortality, Postabortion careAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 8 minutes a woman in a developing nation will die of complications arising from an unsafe abortion. An unsafe abortion is defined as “a procedure for terminating an unintended pregnancy carried out either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.”¹ The fifth United Nations Millennium Development Goal recommends a 75% reduction in maternal mortality by 2015. WHO deems unsafe abortion one of the easiest preventable causes of maternal mortality and a staggering public health issue.     

Unsafe abortion: a neglected tragedy. Review from a tertiary care hospital in India

AIM: With 16% of the world's population, India accounts for over 20% of the world's maternal deaths. The maternal mortality ratio, defined as the number of maternal deaths per 100 000 live births is incredibly high at 408 per 100 000 live births for the country. Abortion has been legalized in India for the past three decades. However, the share of unsafe abortion as a cause of maternal mortality continues to be alarming. The objective of the present study is to identify the magnitude of problem of unsafe abortion in India. METHODS: Emergency gynecologic admissions to a tertiary care center in North India over a 15-year period (1988-2002) were reviewed to evaluate the demographic and clinical profile of patients admitted as a result of unsafe abortion. The records were analyzed with regard to the age group, parity and marital status of the abortion seekers, the indication of abortion, the methods used, qualification of abortion providers, complications and fatality rate. RESULTS: The majority of women who were admitted with diagnosis of unsafe abortion were in the third decade of their lives. They were married, multiparous women living with their spouses. Sixty percent of the women had approached unqualified abortion providers who used primitive methods of pregnancy termination. All the women were admitted with serious complications of unsafe abortions and one-fourth of them succumbed to the complications. CONCLUSION: Unsafe abortion constitutes a major threat to the health and lives of women. This study highlights the need to focus more directly on the needs and preferences of women who seek abortion as well as on the accessibility of contraceptives and skills of the providers of abortion services, in order to improve the quality of abortion care.     

Health Care Provider Attitudes about the Safety of “Quick Start” Initiation of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception for Adolescents

Study ObjectiveTo identify characteristics associated with provider attitudes on the safety of “Quick Start” initiation of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) for adolescents.Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome MeasuresWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of providers in public-sector health centers and office-based physicians (n = 2056) during 2013-2014.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of considering “Quick Start” initiation of LARC for adolescents as safe was 70.9% for implants and 64.5% for intrauterine devices (IUDs). Among public-sector providers, those not trained in implant or IUD insertion had lower odds of perceiving the practice safe (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25-0.41 for implants; aOR 0.42; 95% CI, 0.32-0.55 for IUDs), whereas those practicing at health centers that did not receive Title X funding had lower odds of perceiving the practice safe for IUDs (aOR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61-0.98). Among office-based physicians, lack of training in LARC insertion was associated with lower odds of perceiving “Quick Start” initiation to be safe for IUDs (aOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77). Those specializing in adolescent medicine had higher odds of reporting “Quick Start” initiation of LARC as safe (implants: aOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.23-3.98; IUDs: aOR, 3.37; 95% CI, 1.39-8.21) compared with obstetrician-gynecologists.ConclusionApproximately two-thirds of providers considered “Quick Start” initiation of LARC for adolescents safe; however, there were differences according to provider characteristics (eg, Title X funding, training in LARC insertion, specialty). Targeted LARC insertion training and dissemination of evidence-based family planning guidance and implementation into facility and practice-level policies might increase access to “Quick Start” initiation of LARC for adolescents.     

Delay in the provision of adequate care to women who died from abortion-related complications in the principal maternity hospital of Gabon

Deaths resulting from unsafe induced abortions represent a major component of maternal mortality in countries with restrictive abortion laws. Delays in obtaining care for maternal complications constitute a known determinant of a woman’s risk of death. However, data on the role of delays in providing care at health care facilities are sparse. The association between the cause of maternal death (abortion versus post-partum haemorrhage or eclampsia) and the time interval between admission to hospital and the initiation of treatment were evaluated among women who died at the Maternité du Centre Hospitalier de Libreville, Gabon, between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2007. The women’s characteristics and the time between diagnosis of the condition that led to death and the initiation of treatment were compared for each cause of death. After controlling for selected variables, the mean time between admission and treatment was 1.2 hours (95% CI: 0.0?5.6) in the case of women who died from post-partum haemorrhage or eclampsia and 23.7 hours (95% CI: 21.1?26.3) in the case of women who died of abortion-related complications. In conclusion, delay in initiating care was far greater in cases of women with complications of unsafe abortion compared to other pregnancy-related complications. Such delays may constitute an important determinant of the risk of death in women with abortion-related complications.     

Safe abortion: a right for refugees?

Thanks to initiatives since 1994, most reproductive health programmes for refugee women now include family planning and safe delivery care. Emergency contraception and post-abortion care for complications of unsafe abortion are recommended, but provision of these services has lagged behind, while services for women who wish to terminate an unwanted pregnancy are almost non-existent. Given conditions in refugee settings, including high levels of sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies are of particular concern. Yet the extent of need for abortion services among refugee women remains undocumented. UNFPA estimates that 25-50% of maternal deaths in refugee settings are due to complications of unsafe abortion. Barriers to providing abortion services may include internal and external political pressure, legal restrictions, or the religious affiliation of service providers. Women too may be pressured to continue pregnancies and are often unable to express their needs or assert their rights. Abortion advocacy efforts should highlight the specific needs of refugee women and encourage provision of services where abortion is legally indicated, especially in cases of rape or incest, and risk to a woman's physical and mental health. Implementation of existing guidelines on reducing the occurrence and consequences of sexual violence in refugee settings is also important. Including refugee women in international campaigns for expanded access to safe abortion is critical in addressing the specific needs of this population.     

The effect of induced abortion on subsequent pregnancy outcome.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the effect of induced abortion on the outcome of the next pregnancy. DESIGN--Long-term prospective controlled cohort study. SETTING--Joint Royal College of General Practitioners/Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists study based in general practice in England, Scotland and Wales. SUBJECTS--1311 women whose recruitment pregnancy had ended in induced abortion (the abortion group) and 2131 women whose recruitment pregnancy had a natural conclusion (the non-abortion group). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Non-viable outcome (spontaneous or missed miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth), birthweight, length of gestation. RESULTS--Induced abortion was not materially associated with any of the three measures of adverse outcome. Compared with the non-abortion group the relative risk of a non-viable outcome in the abortion group was 1.01 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.27). In the abortion group birthweight was an average 23 g lighter (95% CI -76 g to + 30 g) and length of gestation an average 0.9 days shorter (95% CI -2.2 days to + 0.4 days) than in the non-abortion group. Women who had their abortions in NHS premises had an increased risk of a non-viable outcome (RR 2.55, 95% CI 1.31 to 4.94) and had babies with significantly lower mean birthweight (-119 g, 95% CI -233 g to +5 g) compared with those who obtained their operations in the private sector. Women whose abortion had been carried out by a consultant had the lowest risk of non-viable outcome. Although these differences remained after adjustment for a number of important variables, it is possible that factors not measured in the present study, such as economic status and occupation, played a contributory role. CONCLUSION--Overall, induced abortion was not associated with any important effect on the three measures of adverse outcome in the subsequent pregnancy.     

History of induced abortion and the risk of tubal pathology

Tubal pathology is a common cause of subfertility. Identifying risk factors for tubal pathology in the medical history is important to distinguish between those couples who benefit from early tubal patency tests and those in whom presence of tubal pathology is less likely and delaying tubal tests is justified. This study evaluated whether a medical history of induced abortion is associated with an increased risk of tubal disease among subfertile couples. The reproductive history was determined for each couple. Tubal disease was diagnosed by hysterosalpingography and/or diagnostic laparoscopy. The association between reproductive history and the presence of tubal disease was assessed by calculating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Data from 6149 couples were available for analysis. The OR for tubal pathology after a previous induced abortion was 1.6 (95% CI 1.3 to 1.9), after a previous ectopic pregnancy, 8.4 (95% CI 6.3 to 12), after a previous spontaneous miscarriage, 1.1 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.3), and after a previous live birth, 1.0 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.2). A history of induced abortion is associated with an increased risk of tubal pathology in subfertile couples. As a consequence, in subfertile women with a history of induced abortion, tubal patency tests should be considered early in the diagnostic work-up.     

The role of advocacy in implementing the South African abortion law

In order to translate the abortion law in South Africa into services that ensure equity of access and women's right to control their bodies, interventions are needed to change judgemental views on abortion. This paper describes formative research conducted in the Northern Cape Province among 436 community members, 29 women seeking an abortion and 80 health service providers, to develop appropriate interventions to these ends. Based on the findings, two interventions were developed. These interventions appeared to substantially influence personal views by getting people to make a connection between the need for abortion services and the circumstances in which unwanted pregnancies occur. There was a shift towards greater support for women's right to choose in relation to abortion among women community members, though not among men, who resisted this right for married women. Amongst providers (almost all women) there was an increase in willingness to support service provision and to support staff working in abortion services. These tools could be used in sexuality education in schools and in nurse-midwifery/medical training, to complement current advocacy initiatives taking place at policy and programme levels in South Africa, to help to reduce the public health problem of unsafe abortion.     

Parent-young people communication about sexual an reproductive health in E/Wollega zone, West Ethiopia: Implications for interventions

ABSTRACT: ObjectivesThis study aims at examining parent-young people communication about sexual and reproductive health related topics and factors associated with it from both young people's and parents' perspectives. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,269 young people aged 10--24 years in Nekemte town and semi urban areas, western Ethiopia. Chi-square and Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted using SPSS for windows version 16. The qualitative data was coded, and categorized in to emerging themes using the open code software version 3.4.ResultAbout a third of young people-32.5% (32.4% of females and 32.7% males) engage in conversation about sexual and reproductive health topics with their parents/parent figures during the last six months. In logistic regression analyses, young people those who were aged 15--19 years were more likely to report parent-communication compared to the other age groups (AOR = 1.57; 95%CI = 1.26-1.97). Female young people are more likely to discuss with their mothers, (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.13-3.2), sister (AOR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.19-3.9) and female friends (AOR = 11.7, 95% CI = 7.36-18.7) while males are more likely to discuss with male friends (AOR = 17.3, 95%CI = 10-4-28.6). Educated young people were more likely to parent-communicate(AOR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.30-2.24). Fear of parent, cultural taboos attached to sex, embarrassments, and parents' lack of knowledge related to sexual and reproductive health were found to be barriers for parent communication. Parent-communication takes place not only infrequently but also in warning, & threatening way. CONCLUSION: Parent-young people communication about sexual health is occurring rarely in the family and bounded by certain barriers. Programmes/policies related to young people's reproductive health should address not only individual or behavioral factors but also cultural and social factors that negatively influence parent-communication about reproductive health.     

Knowledge,attitude and practice of emergency contraception among health care providers in Ismailia,Egypt

ObjectiveTo explore the knowledge, attitude and practice of health care providers in Ismailia, Egypt regarding emergency contraception.Participants and methodA structured questionnaire was distributed to a total of 270 health care providers (obstetrics and gynecology specialists and general practitioners or family physicians). The questionnaire contained four main domains: demographic characteristics; knowledge about EC; attitude toward EC; and practice of EC.ResultsKnowledge of specialists was significantly higher than general practitioners/family physicians regarding the three most commonly used methods of EC, viz; combined oral contraceptive (Yuzpe) method, progesterone only pills (plan B) method and IUCD. Only 39.5% of specialists and 24.0% of GPs/family physicians had good knowledge of EC (p = 0.01). 45.7% of specialists and 42.6% of GPs/family physicians had favorable attitude toward EC with no significant difference. 39.5% of specialists and 26.6% of GPs/family physicians reported ever prescribing EC. Yuzpe method was the most commonly prescribed method by specialists (31.5%) and GPs/family physicians (27.0%) with no significant difference. Knowledge and favorable attitude were significantly associated in both groups. Age and years of experience significantly affected the three outcome measures.ConclusionA deficit in knowledge and a negative attitude shown by health care providers lead to an insufficient use of EC methods.     

Medical abortion: the possibilities for introduction in the public sector in South Africa

Medical abortion is safe and effective and has been approved for use in early termination of pregnancy in South Africa since 2001. The Department of Health is currently considering its introduction in the public health sector. The attitudes of women seeking abortion and of health care providers towards medical abortion have not previously been described. Data were derived from a quantitative survey of 673 women attending abortion services in the provinces of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. In-depth interviews in Soweto and Cape Town were conducted with 20 public health doctors, nurses, a social worker and facility managers, and in Cape Town with four provincial policymakers. Although medical abortion was not yet being offered, 21% of women interviewed were early enough in pregnancy (eight weeks or less) to be eligible for medical abortion. Access to health facilities, including those for abortion, was reasonable for urban women but more limited for rural women. Rural women also incurred greater travel costs to reach a facility. Most women thought medical abortion would be acceptable and would have been willing to try it, had it been available. Policymakers and providers were supportive, as they felt medical abortion could relieve the burden on current services. How to increase access to abortion services in rural areas needs to be addressed.