The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71665

Katherine L. Turner, MPH, Training and Service Delivery Improvement Unit, Ipas, 300 Market St., Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, 919-960-5624, turnerk@ipas.org, Ellen M. H. Mitchell, PhD, Research & Evaluation Unit, Ipas, 300 Market Street, Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, Sarah Onyango, MD, MPH, Country Team Leader, Kenya, P.O. Box 1192, 38 Rhapta Rd, Nairobi, Kenya, Nancy Nyaga, MD, Ipas Kenya, P.O. Box 1192, 38 Rhapta Rd, Nairobi, Kenya, Roxane Lovell, MA, Programs Unit, Ipas, 300 Market St., Ste 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, and Jeannine M. Herrick, MPH, Ipas, 300 Market St., Ste 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

There is increasing global momentum to scale up postabortion care (PAC) to achieve the mandate outlined in the UN 1999 Five Year Review of Progress Since ICPD paragraph 63iii and to meet women’s health care needs. In 2002, the Postabortion Care Consortium added community and service provider partnerships as one of two new elements to the expanded Essential Elements of PAC Model. In the 1999 Kenya Service Provision Assessment Survey, only 27% of all health facilities reported having community outreach programs on any reproductive health issues. Documented community-level PAC needs assessment and interventions results and models of community and service provider partnerships are needed to realize this new element of PAC. This presentation highlights the community component of a project to assess and scale up access to postabortion care in selected districts in Nyanza and Western Provinces in Kenya. Ipas, in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization, conducted a PAC needs assessment, training and project monitoring with community health workers (CHWs). Over 240 CHWs with previous training in other reproductive health topics were assessed on postabortion care needs, services and perceptions and then trained to educate on PAC and refer women with suspected abortion complications to health facilities and follow up with them. This presentation presents the results of the needs assessment, content and methods used in the CHW training on PAC and project monitoring reports. The presentation will conclude with lessons learned and recommendations for broader implementation of community-based PAC interventions.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to:
• · Describe the results of pre-training assessments on postabortion care needs, services and perceptions conducted with community health workers in selected districts in Western and Nyanza provinces;
• · Articulate the content and methods used in the PAC training for community health workers;
• · Describe project monitoring report results; and
• · Discuss lessons learned and recommendations for broader implementation of community-based PAC interventions.

Keywords: Post-Abortion Care, Community Participation

Related Web page: www.ipas.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: This paper will discuss services provided by Ipas in collaboration with the Kenya Ministry of Health and Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization. There is no conflict of interest.
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
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