Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 26;21(1):174.
doi: 10.1186/s12978-024-01907-w.

Integration of family planning into the primary health care in Ethiopia: results from national assessment

Meselech Assegid Roro  1   2 , Yohannes Mehretie Adinew  3 , Senait Seid Yimer  4 , Naod Firdu Gizaw  5 , Abiy Seifu Estifanos  6   4 , Jemal Kassaw Mohammed  3 , Addisalem Titiyos Kebede  3 , Kathryn A O'Connell  7 , Bilal Shikur Endris  4   8
Affiliations

Integration of family planning into the primary health care in Ethiopia: results from national assessment

Meselech Assegid Roro et al. Reprod Health. .

Abstract

Background: Family planning (FP) is part of Ethiopia's essential health service package. However, integrating FP into other health care services is a relatively new concept. Integrated service can minimize missed opportunities and allow health workers to provide FP services and Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent, and Nutrition (RMNCAH-N) services simultaneously. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the levels of FP integration into maternal and child health (MCH) services at primary health care service delivery units in Ethiopia.

Methods: This was a facility-based cross-sectional study conducted from July to October 2022. We conducted a nationally representative survey of primary health care (PHC) facilities selected from seven regions and two-city administrations in Ethiopia to assess the current level of FP integration across four service delivery units (antenatal care unit, postnatal care unit, post-abortion care unit, and immunization unit) of the facilities. We collected data from selected health facilities through interview with health facility managers, healthcare providers in the selected service units, clients seeking health services, and extraction of data from facility records. We employed descriptive analysis, and categorized the degree of FP integration according to the FP information and services provided in the selected service delivery units.

Results: This national FP integration survey included 122 health facilities (39 primary hospitals, 42 health centers, and 41 health posts) from seven regions and two city administrations. The study found a huge discrepancy regarding FP counselling given at ANC, PNC, PAC, and immunization service delivery units as reported by health care providers and clients. The proportion of PNC and immunization clients who received FP counselling was higher at health post compared to hospitals and health centers. Moreover, the proportion of PAC clients who received FP information was higher in primary hospitals compared to health centers.

Conclusion: Data from facility records and provider interviews showed significant FP integration within ANC, PNC, and immunization units of PHC facilities. However, client exit interviews indicated low FP counselling integration. Facility records revealed few PNC and PAC clients received contraceptives in the past year. The study found high FP counselling and provision of at least one short- or long-acting contraceptive at PNC and PAC units. No facility offered contraceptives at immunization units, indicating missed FP integration opportunities.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Family planning; Integration; Primary health care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical clearance and approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of SPH_REC and the College of Health Sciences at Addis Ababa University (Ref: 031/22/SPH). Written permission to perform the studies was obtained from the respective Regional Health Bureau and offices of the selected woredas for the study. All data collection instruments were accompanied with informed written consent forms in which the consent of the respondents was ensured. All respondents were informed about the purpose of the study by reading out the informed consent statements prepared for the study. They were also informed about the confidentiality of the information they provided during data collection. The right not to participate at all or to withdraw at any time during the interview was made clear to the respondents. The risk and benefits of the study were explained. All data collected during the fieldwork was stored, organized, analyzed, and retrieved guaranteeing confidentiality. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proportion of MCH providers in ANC, PNC, PAC, and immunization service delivery units trained on FP, Ethiopia, 2022
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. United Nations. The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals: An opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean. Santiago https://repositorio.cepal.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/6321b2b2-71c3-4....
    1. Central Statistical Agency aI, Central Statistical Agency (CSA) [Ethiopia], and ICF. Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Rockville, Maryland, USA: CSA and ICF https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR328/FR328.pdf; 2016.
    1. WHO, World Health Organization. Trends in maternal mortality 2000 to 2020: estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, world bank group and UNDESA/population division. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023.
    1. Ministry of Health. Family Planning Service Integration National Implementation Guideline. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia https://scorecard.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/National-Guideline-....
    1. Senderowicz L, Maloney N. Supply-side versus demand-side unmet need: implications for family planning programs. Popul Dev Rev. 2022;48(3):689–722. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources