Mobile Technology for increasing Postpartum Family Planning Acceptability: The Development of a Mobilebased (mHealth) Intervention through a Dedicated Counselor—A Pilot Innovative Study conducted in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sunita Bhagia
Keywords :
Counselor mHealth, Mobile based technology, Postpartum family planning
Citation Information :
Bhagia S. Mobile Technology for increasing Postpartum Family Planning Acceptability: The Development of a Mobilebased (mHealth) Intervention through a Dedicated Counselor—A Pilot Innovative Study conducted in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. J South Asian Feder Obs Gynae 2018; 10 (1):74-80.
Objective: This prospective study was undertaken to increase postpartum family planning (PPFP) acceptance among urban slum dwellers in Agra city by initiating postpartum (PP) women tracking through free phone calls and effective counseling by counselor, wherein the potential clients can be followed up and called back to the health facility for postnatal care (PNC) checkups and immunization of the newborn and helped in making an informed choice of the PPFP method best suitable to them.
Materials and methods: A thorough analysis of PPFP methods at the PP center at S.N. Medical College, Agra, India, showed that the acceptance of PPFP methods was low. To boost up the PPFP program, an innovation of mobile tracking of PP women was done by a counselor. Every day the experienced counselor counseled all women in early labor in clean labour room (CLR) and recently delivered clients in PNC ward and postoperative ward on PPFP methods and services. Some of them adopted immediate PP intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) or ligation, while others were tracked by the counselor through their mobile numbers for the next 2 months. The counselor makes the following free phone calls to the potential clients:
First call within 3 to 7 days of delivery
Second call in 20 to 42 days of delivery
Third call in 42 to 60 days of delivery
This tracking was started in 2013 and completed in 2016. The results of acceptability and acceptance have been compiled.
Results: • This pilot study has shown very promising results. Hence, according to this study, the effective PPFP has increased to 29.7%, which was initially 4.9%. • Also, PPFP acceptance has increased from 6% in 2012 to 73% in 2015, including all methods [condom and oral contraceptive pill (OCP)/progestin-only pill (POP) also].
The PP women who did not accept any method were referred to their respective nongovernmental organization (NGO) and they were then counseled by them and the acceptance further increased by another 5%.
Conclusion: The tracking of PP women through mobile communication by the counselor in Agra city since last 48 months of implementation seems to be successful. It is going in the right direction. Linking up the recently delivered clients by the respective NGO to the nearby health facility for PPFP methods and services is playing an important role and will definitely improve with time and intensive efforts.
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