Evaluating the implementation of the Reproductive Life Plan in disadvantaged communities: A mixed-methods study using the i-PARIHS framework

Exploring Multiple Measures of Pregnancy Preferences and Their Relationship with Postpartum Contraceptive Uptake Using Longitudinal Data from PMA Ethiopia

There are significant gaps in our understanding of how the experience of an unintended pregnancy affects subsequent contraceptive behavior. Our objective was to explore how three measures of pregnancy preferences-measuring timing-based intentions, emotional orientation, and planning status-were related to the uptake of postpartum family planning within one year after birth. Additionally, we tested whether the relationship between each measure and postpartum family planning uptake differs by parity, a key determinant of fertility preference. Adjusted hazards regression results show that the timing-based measure, specifically having a mistimed pregnancy, and the emotional response measure, specifically being unhappy, were associated with contraceptive uptake in the extended postpartum period, while those related to pregnancy planning, as measured by an adapted London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy, were not. This effect differed by parity; high parity women were consistently the least likely to use contraception in the postpartum period, but the effect of experiencing an unwanted pregnancy or having a mixed reaction to a pregnancy was significantly stronger among high parity compared to low parity women. Greater attention to the entirety of women's responses to unanticipated pregnancies is needed to fully understand the influence of unintended pregnancy on health behaviors and outcomes for women and their children.

Preconception care practices among primary health care nurses working in public health facilities in KwaZulu-Natal

BACKGROUND

Preconception care (PCC) is necessary to identify and deal with all the risk factors before conception. Some aspects of PCC, like folic acid supplementation, would be relevant to people desiring a pregnancy. Alternatively, PCC could provide contraceptive support to those with no pregnancy intention. In South Africa, primary healthcare nurses provide a comprehensive package of essential services in public health facilities to about 90% of the population at no cost. Therefore, they are the key providers of promotive, preventive, and curative services, including PCC.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the level of PCC practice among primary healthcare nurses and identify determinants of effective practice.

METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 196 nurses undertaking a specialisation Primary HealthCare program in a selected higher education institution. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data that were analysed with SPSS version 27 software.

RESULTS

The overall practice of PCC was 87.8%. Older participants were significantly less likely to exhibit good PCC practice than their younger counterparts. Female participants were also less likely to have good PCC practices than their male counterparts. Married participants were significantly more likely to practice PCC than their unmarried counterparts. Participants practicing in rural areas were also less likely to have good PCC practices than their urban counterparts.

CONCLUSION

The PCC practice of most primary healthcare nurses in the study is relatively high. The study also identified the determinants of good PCC practice that can enhance its practice. There is a need to revisit the PCC training of healthcare workers, as most indicated the need for further training.

Conceptual and relational advances of the PARIHS and i-PARIHS frameworks over the last decade: a critical interpretive synthesis

BACKGROUND

The number of research publications reporting the use of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework and the integrated PARIHS (i-PARIHS) framework has grown steadily. We asked how the last decade of implementation research, predicated on the (i-)PARIHS framework (referring to the PARIHS or i-PARIHS framework), has contributed to our understanding of the conceptualizations of, relationships between, and dynamics among the core framework elements/sub-elements. Building on the Helfrich et al. (2010) review of research on the PARIHS framework, we undertook a critical interpretive synthesis to: (1) identify conceptual and relational advances in the (i-)PARIHS framework and (2) identify conceptual and relational aspects of the (i-)PARIHS framework that warrant further work.

METHODS

We performed a systematic search in PubMed/PubMed Central, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, JSTOR, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and PsycInfo. Articles were eligible for synthesis if they (a) were peer-reviewed articles, written in English, and published between January 2009 and December 2021, (b) applied the (i-)PARIHS framework explicitly to guide implementation research, and (c) made conceptual (expanding the conceptualization of core elements) and/or relational contributions (elaborating relationships among elements/sub-elements, or theorizing the relationships using empirical data). We used a critical interpretive synthesis approach to synthesize conceptual-relational advances of the (i-)PARIHS framework.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven articles were eligible for synthesis. Twenty-four offered conceptual contributions, and 18 offered relational contributions (5 articles contributed in both ways). We found conceptual expansion of all core (i-)PARIHS elements, with most emphasis on context (particularly outer context and leadership), facilitation, and implementation success. Articles also gave insights into the complex relationships and relational dynamism among these elements, characterized as contingent, interactive, multilevel, and temporal effects.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed developmental advances of the (i-)PARIHS framework and proposed several directions to further advance the framework. Conceptualization of (i-)PARIHS elements (particularly evidence/innovation and recipients) need to be further developed by specifying conceptual and operational definitions of underlying sub-elements. Relationships among (i-)PARIHS elements/sub-elements need to be further elaborated through empirical studies that consider situational contingencies and causal complexities. This will require examining necessity and sufficiency of (i-)PARIHS elements/sub-elements in relation to implementation outcomes, interactions among elements, and mechanism-based explanations.

Family planning practices and women's impression of the reproductive life plan in Eswatini

OBJECTIVE

Family planning is limited and unplanned pregnancies are common in Eswatini. The Reproductive Life Plan (RLP) is a counselling tool to improve pregnancy planning. Mentor mothers, i.e. community health workers, were trained in using an adapted RLP and introduced it into family planning discussions with their clients. This study evaluates the clients' impression of the RLP and investigates their family planning practices.

METHOD

Data were collected in 2018 from anonymous questionnaires filled out by the clients: mothers or pregnant women aged 15-44 years. The questionnaire comprised 20 questions on demographic background, fertility desires, pregnancy planning as well as quality and perceived need for family planning support. Chi-square tests or Fisher's exact test were used for group comparisons.

RESULTS

199 women were included. Most women (74%) chose the option that family planning discussions using the RLP had helped them 'very much'. A majority also had a perceived need for these discussions as 70% wanted to have more support from their mentor mother and 92% wanted more information about family planning. Women with lower educational level and younger women wanted more support compared to women with higher educational level and older women (p < 0.001 and p = 0.028). The unmet need for family planning was 22%.

CONCLUSION

The introduction of the RLP used by mentor mothers was well received among women but most of them requested more family planning support. Using the RLP may help women in this context achieve their reproductive goals.

'If we don't assess the patient's vision, we risk starting at the wrong end': a qualitative evaluation of a stroke service knowledge translation project

Background

Visual impairments (VIs) affect 60% of stroke survivors and have negative consequences for rehabilitation and quality of life poststroke. Symptoms of VIs post stroke are difficult to identify for stroke survivors and health care professionals without using a structured vision assessment. In this study, we qualitatively evaluate the implementation outcomes after implementing a structured visual assessment with the Competence, Rehabilitation of Sight after Stroke Vision (KROSS) assessment tool in stroke care services.

Methods

This is a qualitative study comprising four focus group interviews. The health care personnel (HCP) involved in the implementation or with experience using the KROSS assessment tool in practice were invited to participate. We used Proctor et al.’s definitions of implementation outcomes as a framework, which informed the interview guide and analysis. We used a deductive - inductive content analysis, as described by Elo and Kyngäs.

Results

The participants found the structured vision assessment with the KROSS tool as being acceptable; they expressed a motivation and intention to use the new routine in practice. They believed it was important to assess their patient’s visual function because it influenced other rehabilitation activities and activities of daily living. Most of the participants reported having adopted the vision assessment in their practice, except for those participants from the home care services who experienced that they have few stroke survivors to follow up on. The assessment was believed to be more appropriate to perform within the rehabilitation services where there is more of a focus on functional assessments. Although vision assessment was new to all the participants, they felt that they improved their vision assessment skills by regularly using the assessment tool. Together with sufficient instructions and supervision, they believed that vison assessment was feasible for their practise. Including the vison assessment in the existing routines and systems was important to promote sustainable implementation.

Conclusion

Implementing a structured vision assessment with the KROSS tool in health care services was experienced as acceptable and feasible. The new routine led to increased attention towards poststroke VIs and increased collaboration with vision experts. Tailoring the routine to each practice and how they organise their work can support the integration of a vision assessment in their routines. To promote better vision care poststroke vision assessment and follow up should be included in the stroke care pathways.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07732-w.

Reproductive Life Planning in Adolescents

Unplanned pregnancy in adolescents contributes to the burden of disease, mortality, and health and educational disparities experienced by young people during this vulnerable period between childhood and adulthood. Reproductive life planning (RLP) is an approach that has been endorsed and adopted internationally, which prompts individuals and couples to set personal goals regarding if and when to have children based on their own personal priorities. This review discusses RLP tools, their acceptability, effectiveness, and issues in implementation across different contexts, with a specific focus on how RLP has been applied for adolescents. While a range of RLP tools are available and considered acceptable in adult populations, there is minimal evidence of their potential benefits for adolescent populations. Online platforms and information technology are likely to promote reach and implementation of RLP interventions in adolescents. Consideration of the socioecological contexts where adolescent pregnancies are more common should be integral to much needed future work that explores RLP interventions in adolescents.