The present study was a qualitative study using fifty-nine in-depth interviews was conducted among family planning providers working in hospitals, primary health centers, clinics, pharmacies, and patent medicine vendors.
Provider’s support was defined as individuals and organizations involved in family planning provision, including the government. The government’s role can take a variety of forms, including providing promotional materials for family planning facilities as well as facilitating training and educational opportunities for providers. Many providers lack basic training in family planning provision. Providers describe their motivation to provide in terms of health benefits. Few providers engage in any marketing of their services and many providers exclude unmarried individuals from their services.
The study concluded that the family planning provider community supports a diverse network of providers but needs further training and support to improve the quality of care and market their services. Adolescents, unmarried individuals, and women seeking post-abortion care are vulnerable populations that providers need to be better educated about and trained in how to serve. The perspectives of providers should be considered when designing family planning interventions in urban areas of Nigeria.
Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/39/1/29
