The impact of having a dedicated obstetrics and gynecology resident to provide contraceptive counseling on immediate postpartum family planning uptake: a “pre–post” study

Background: Providing effective, high quality, antenatal and postpartum contraceptive counseling can reduce unintended pregnancies, decrease maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, and prevent unsafe abortions. The postpartum period is a critical time to address unmet family planning need and to reduce the risks of short interpregnancy interval. This study aimed at determining the impact of assigning a dedicated obstetrics and gynecology resident for postpartum family planning counselling on the uptake of immediate postpartum family planning. Methods: A “pre-post” observational study was conducted at Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia, from May 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. Immediate postpartum family planning uptake between the months of June (when there was a dedicated resident assigned for postpartum family planning counselling and provison on weekdays) and May (when there was no such dedicated resident for similar purpose) were compared. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 software packages. Simple descriptive was used to describe baseline characteristics. Chi-square test of association was done to determine the correlation between dependent and independent variables. Multivariate regression analysis was applied to determine factors associated with uptake of family planning methods in the immediate postpartum period. Odds ratio, 95% CI, and p-value < 0.05 were used to describe results significance. Results: Out of 776 mothers who delivered at SPHMMC in the month of June 2021, 158 (20.4%) of them used immediate postpartum family planning. This finding during the month of June is higher than a 15.4% immediate postpartum family planning uptake observed during the preceding month of May. Having a dedicated resident for postpartum family planning counselling was associated with an increase in immediate postpartum family planning use (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI [1.01, 1.69]). Conclusion: In this study, presence of a dedicated obstetrics and gynecology resident for postpartum family planning counselling was associated with an increase in the uptake of immediate postpartum family planning. This implies the importance of assigning a dedicated care provider for the purpose of postpartum family planning counselling within the immediate postpartum, which gives postpartum women another opportunity of adequate counselling before they are discharge from Hospitals or obstetric service centers.