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An innovative social marketing intervention in Pakistan distributes audiocassettes via chemist shops and Lady Health Visitors (LHVs) to reach women in a segregated society with accurate information on hormonal contraceptives. Operations research was done to assess the utility of the cassette in knowledge dissemination and adoption of hormonal use. In total 187 structured questionnaires were completed with couples who had obtained a cassette. Listeners were significantly more knowledgeable than non-listeners about correct use of hormonals (OR=8·6 for women and OR=12·7 for men). Hormonal use increased from 12% to 25%. LHVs also organized discussion groups for women, and attending such a chat group was the strongest predictor for adoption of pills and injectables (OR=4·15). Equivalent male groups are suggested to reach apprehensive men. By providing accurate information to urban couples and by acquiring a knowledgeable critical mass of satisfied users, the cassette could be a powerful catalyst to further contraceptive diffusion.

In the classic understanding of human rights obligations, the state is considered the primary duty-bearer. Governments, however, are increasingly handing over their function of delivering health services to NGOs. This article argues that because of these new and increasing responsibilities, NGOs should also be seen as duty-bearers required to uphold rights through their services, activities, and principles of operation. Translating human rights norms into practical, measurable activities remains a challenge. We worked with organizations delivering HIV-related services to prisoners and injecting drug users in Malawi and Pakistan. The aim was to develop a simple, practical framework of activities and indicators to provide accountability standards against which NGOs could be held accountable for progressively realizing the rights of their clients. Adapted from the source document.

Context: Despite liberal abortion laws, safe abortion access in Zambia is impeded by limited legal awareness, lack of services, and restrictive clinical policies. As in many countries with restricted abortion access, women frequently seek abortions informally from pharmacies.Methods: We conducted 16 in‐depth interviews in 2019 to understand the experiences and motivations of pharmacy workers who sell medication abortion (MA) drugs in Lusaka.Results: We found that pharmacy staff reluctantly assume a gatekeeper role for MA due to competing pressures from clients and from regulatory constraints. Pharmacy staff often decide to provide MA, motivated by their duty of care and desire to help clients, as well as financial interests. However, pharmacy workers' motivation to protect themselves from legal and business risk perpetuates inequalities in abortion access, as pharmacy workers improvise additional eligibility criteria based on personal risk and values such as age, partner approval, reason for abortion, and level of desperation.Conclusion: These findings highlight how pharmacy staff informally determine women's abortion access when laws and policies prevent comprehensive access to safe abortion. Reform of clinical guidelines, public education, strengthened public sector availability, task sharing, and improved access to prescription services are needed to ensure women can legally access safe abortion.

AbstractTask sharing is a strategy with potential to increase access to effective modern contraceptive methods. This study examines whether community health extension workers (CHEWs) can insert contraceptive implants to the same safety and quality standards as nurse/midwives. We analyze data from 7,691 clients of CHEWs and nurse/midwives who participated in a noninferiority study conducted in Kaduna and Ondo States, Nigeria. Adverse events (AEs) following implant insertions were compared. On the day of insertion AEs were similar among CHEW and nurse/midwife clients—0.5 percent and 0.4 percent, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.92 (95 percent CI 0.38–2.23)—but noninferiority could not be established. At follow‐up 6.6 percent of CHEW clients and 2.1 percent of nurse/midwife clients experienced AEs. There was strong evidence of effect modification by State. In the final adjusted model, odds of AEs for CHEW clients in Kaduna was 3.34 (95 percent CI 1.53–7.33) compared to nurse/midwife clients, and 0.72 (95 percent CI 0.19–2.72]) in Ondo. Noninferiority could not be established in either State. Implant expulsions were higher among CHEW clients (142/2987) compared to nurse/midwives (40/3517). Results show the feasibility of training CHEWs to deliver implants in remote rural settings but attention must be given to provider selection, training, supervision, and follow‐up to ensure safety and quality of provision.

BACKGROUND: As part of its Family Planning 2020 commitment, the Nigerian government is aiming for a contraceptive prevalence rate of 36% by 2018, and in 2014, approved a policy to allow community health extension workers (CHEWs), in addition to doctors, nurses, and midwives, to provide contraceptive subdermal implants. There is a lack of rigorous evidence on the safety of long-acting reversible contraceptive provision, such as implants, among lower cadres of health providers. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare implant provision by CHEWs versus nurses and midwives up to 14 days post insertion. METHODS: The quasi-experimental, noninferiority study will take place in public sector facilities in Kaduna and Ondo States. In each state, we will select 60 facilities, and from these, we will select a total of 30 nurses and midwives and 30 CHEWs to participate. Selected providers will be trained to provide implant services. Once trained, providers will recruit a minimum of 8125 women aged between 18 and 49 years who request and are eligible for an implant, following comprehensive family planning counseling. During implant insertion, providers will record data about the process and any adverse events, and 14 days post insertion, providers will ask 4410 clients about adverse events arising from the implant. Supervisors will observe 792 implant insertions to assess service provision quality and ask clients about their satisfaction with the procedure. We will conclude noninferiority if the CI for the difference in the proportion of adverse events between CHEWs and nurses and midwives on the day of insertion or 14 days post insertion lies to the right of -2%. RESULTS: In September and October 2015, we trained 60 CHEWs and a total of 60 nurses and midwives from 12 local government areas (LGAs) in Kaduna and 23 LGAs in Ondo. Recruitment took place between November 2015 and December 2016. Data analysis is being finalized, and results are expected in March 2018. CONCLUSIONS: The strength of this study is having a standard care (nurse and midwife provision) group with which CHEW provision can be compared. The intervention builds on existing training and supervision procedures, which increases the sustainability and scalability of CHEW implant provision. Important limitations include the lack of randomization due to nurses and midwives in Nigeria working in separate types of health care facilities compared with CHEWs, and that providers self-assess their own practices. It is unfeasible to observe all procedures independently, and observation may change practice. Although providers will be trained to conduct implant removals, the study time will be too short to reach the sample size required to make noninferiority comparisons for removals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03088722; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03088722 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xIHImWvu).