Satisfied IUD acceptors as family planning motivators in Sri Lanka
Fisher, A.A.; de Silva, V.
Studies in Family Planning 17(5): 235-242
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 3775829 DOI: 10.2307/1966973Document Number: 359498
In this experimental operations research field study, government midwives were teamed with currently satisfied IUD acceptors in 6 Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas to strengthen field motivational and recruitment efforts. Also, in these areas physicians, registered medical practitioners and assistant medical practitioners were retrained and public health nurses trained, in IUD insertion. 222 public health midwives provided services to a population of 1,008,000 in the experimental areas, comapred to 201 public health midwives and a population of 1.,059,000 in the control areas. Satisfied IUD acceptors were defined as married women currently using an IUD for at least 6 months and expressing satisfaction, or women who had used an IUD continously for at least 12 months and had discontinued its use to adopt sterilization. Data indicate that teaming government midwives with satisfied IUD acceptors were greatly increased the recruitment of new acceptors. Satisfied IUD acceptors were influential in helping ot convince their friends, relatives and neighbors to accept an IUD; they did not, however, have an effect on decreasing IUD termination rates. These rates appear to have been affected by other aspects of the study, possibly by the IUD insertion training provided to service delivery staff, and possibly by the attention place during monitoring meetings on providing careful pre-insertion counseling and post-insertion follow-up. Finally, this operations research study also demonstrates the importance of upgrading the facilities of rural clinics so that insertions can be done in an envioronment that is comfortable and private for the client.