Sustainability of postabortion care in Peru

The goal of this study was to determine the sustainability of the postabortion care (PAC) training and service delivery intervention introduced in the Hospital Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión in Lima, Peru, and the extent to which the outcomes of the intervention have continued. The objectives of the study were to assess changes over time in the following outcomes: the use of manual vacuum aspiration for incomplete abortion, provision of family planning information to postabortion patients, acceptance of contraception by postabortion patients prior to discharge, provision of medical care information to patients, length of hospital stay, and resources used by the hospital and patients for PAC services. The findings indicate that the PAC services and related outcomes have been well sustained over the three-year period since the original study. The lessons learned from the long-term experience of Hospital Carrión show that with minimal resource investment and strong political leadership this model of sustainable, high-quality care has the potential for broad application in countries throughout the region.