Scoping review on the use of South-South learning exchange to scale up evidence-based practices in family planning

Background: South-South learning exchange (SSLE) is an interactive learning process where teams from low-income and middle-income countries exchange knowledge and experience to support one or both team's work towards a change in policies, programmes or practices. SSLE has been used by countries to improve family planning (FP) outcomes such as increased contraceptive prevalence rate and reduced unmet need for FP, but at present, there are no reviews that summarise its use. We conducted a scoping review with stakeholder consultations to summarise the use of SSLE to change FP outcomes. Objective: To systematically identify and map the purposes, approaches, outputs, outcomes, enablers and barriers to using SSLE in FP. Methods: A search was conducted on electronic databases, grey literature sources, websites and the reference list of included studies. The scoping review is based on an adapted version of Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework suggested by Levac et al. Experts were interviewed on their experiences in SSLE. Results: The initial search yielded 1483 articles; however, only 29 were selected in the final analysis. The articles were published between 2008 and 2022. Most of the articles were reports, case studies or press releases, only two were peer-reviewed publications. Capacity building of FP providers, policy-makers and community was the most commonly reported purpose of SSLE, with study tours (57%) being the most common approach. Policy dialogue was the most common (45%) output and improved contraceptive prevalence was the most frequently reported outcome. The experiences of the 16 interviewed experts aligned with the scoping review findings. Conclusion: The evidence on the effectiveness of SSLE for addressing FP outcomes is very limited and of very low quality. We call on stakeholders conducting SSLE to document their experiences in detail, including the outcomes achieved

Scoping review protocol to map evidence on South-South learning exchange in family planning

Introduction: South-South learning exchange (SSLE) is an interactive learning process where stakeholder teams exchange knowledge and experience to help one, or both to work towards change, by identifying, adopting and/or strengthening implementation of a best practice. SSLE has been conducted between countries to share knowledge on best practices and policies in family planning. To the best of our knowledge, no scoping review has been conducted to synthesise evidence on SSLE in family planning. In this paper, we outline the protocol to conduct scoping review on SSLE in family planning. Methods and analysis: Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework with adaptions from Levac et al will be used to guide this scoping review. We will search electronic databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Hinari, ProQuest DB, PUBMED, Web of Science and WorldCat), grey literature sources and reference lists of included studies. We will focus on literature published till August 2022. The abstract and title screening, full-text screening and data charting will be conducted by two independent reviewers. The findings will be summarised into a narrative based on thematic analysis. Stakeholder interviews will be conducted to understand their perception and experiences in applying SSLE in family planning. Ethics and dissemination: The ethics review committee at WHO, Geneva, has exempted this study from ethical approval (ERC.0003752). The findings from the study will provide useful insights into effective approaches, barriers, facilitators to conduct SSLE in family planning. This knowledge will be of significant public health relevance and will help in designing future learning exchanges between countries in the south to accelerate access to quality family planning services. The findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, newsletters and workshops

Research gaps and emerging priorities in sexual and reproductive health in Africa and the eastern Mediterranean regions

Abstract Background In-country research capacity is key to creating improvements in local implementation of health programs and can help prioritize health issues in a landscape of limited funding. Research prioritization has shown to be particularly useful to help answer strategic and programmatic issues in health care, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a priority setting exercise that brought together researchers and program managers from the WHO Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions to identify key SRH issues. Methods In June 2015, researchers and program managers from the WHO Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions met for a three-day meeting to discuss strategies to strengthen research capacity in the regions. A prioritization exercise was carried out to identify key priority areas for research in SRH. The process included five criteria: answerability, effectiveness, deliverability and acceptability, potential impact of the intervention/program to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health substantially, and equity. Results The six main priorities identified include: creation and investment in multipurpose prevention technologies, addressing adolescent violence and early pregnancy (especially in the context of early marriage), improved maternal and newborn emergency care, increased evaluation and improvement of adolescent health interventions including contraception, further focus on family planning uptake and barriers, and improving care for mothers and children during childbirth. Conclusion The setting of priorities is the first step in a dynamic process to identify where research funding should be focused to maximize health benefits. The key elements identified in this exercise provides guidance for decision makers to focus action on identified research priorities and goals. Prioritization and identifying/acting on research gaps can have great impact across multiple sectors in the regions for improved reproductive, maternal and children health.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142725/1/12978_2018_Article_484.pd

Post pregnancy family planning

Implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers to scaling up and sustaining post pregnancy family planning, a mixed-methods systematic revie

Demand generation in family planning

Implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers to scaling up and sustaining demand generation in family planning, a mixed-methods systematic revie

Design and initial implementation of the WHO FP umbrella project- to strengthen contraceptive services in the sub Saharan Africa

Abstract Background Strengthening contraceptive services in sub Saharan Africa is critical to achieve the FP 2020 goal of enabling 120 million more women and girls to access and use contraceptives by 2020 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets of universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services including family planning by 2030. Method The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have designed a multifaceted project to strengthen health systems to reduce the unmet need of contraceptive and family planning services in sub Saharan Africa. The plan leverages global, regional and national partnerships to facilitate and increase the use of evidence based WHO guidelines with a specific focus on postpartum family planning. The four key approaches undertaken are i) making WHO Guidelines adaptable & appropriate for country use ii) building capacity of WHO regional/country staff iii) providing technical support to countries and iv) strengthening partnerships for introduction and implementation of WHO guidelines. This paper describes the project design and elaborates the multifaceted approaches required in initial implementation to strengthen contraceptive services. Conclusion The initial results from this project reflect that simultaneous application these approaches may strengthen contraceptive services in Sub Saharan Africa and ensure sustainability of the efforts. The lessons learned may be used to scale up and expand services in other countries

Correction to: Design and initial implementation of the WHO FP umbrella project- to strengthen contraceptive services in the sub Saharan Africa

Correction After publication of the original article [1], it came to the authors’ attention that the Acknowledgements section was not completed correctly. The Acknowledgements of the article should have been as follows

Successful strategies that address gender-related barriers and promote bodily autonomy within efforts to scale up and sustain postpartum and post-abortion contraception: A scoping review

The scoping review will advance the knowledge of strategies that successfully address gender-related barriers to scaling up and sustaining postpartum and post-abortion contraception in ways that promote the exercise of bodily autonomy