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Using Evidence-Based Medicine to Overcome Barriers to Modern Contraceptive Use

The Strengthening Family Planning project in Jordan (Ta’ziz Tanzim Al Usra, in Arabic) implemented an evidence-based medicine strategy to respond to the need for scientifically based information to address widely held misconceptions about the side effects and perceived harm of modern contraceptive methods, particularly hormonal methods. A 2010 assessment found that the evidence-based medicine intervention under a predecessor project improved private physicians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding combined oral contraceptive pills.

The Strengthening Family Planning project completed a rigorous impact evaluation of the evidence-based medicine program for the contraceptive injection, DMPA, which has had a very low acceptance rate in Jordan due to side effect concerns. Although the evaluation results were inconclusive, the study showed evidence of a positive short-term impact on improvement in providers’ attitudes toward DMPA and an increase in provider willingness and comfort prescribing DMPA to their clients.

This presentation was made by Maha Al-Saheb at the International Conference on Family Planning in November 2013.