Understanding of Emergency Contraception among Health Workers in a Government Hospital in Dehradun

Abstract

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Emergency contraception (EC), as the word suggests, offers women of reproductive age an alternative to prevent unwanted pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse. Health workers are basic health-service providers and health-educators, as well as important members of the community in which they serve. Their basic understanding about emergency contraception can influence the contraceptive behavior of the community, especially women of reproductive age. Adequate knowledge about different emergency contraception options among health workers will help improve the acceptance these options receive among the residents of the community. Objective – The primary objective of this survey cam study is to find out the understanding of emergency contraception among health workers offering their services in a government hospital in Dehradun. Rationale – Health workers, including nursing staff, ANM, ASHA workers, and Swastha Mitra, with complete knowledge and clear understanding toward EC can act as effective counselors and educators to the members of the community, especially the female population of reproductive age. Setting and Design – This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The proposed study was executed in a government hospital in Dehradun, situated in Premnagar, which has a semi-urban catchment area. Study Description & Analysis Method – A pre-designed questionnaire was utilized to assess the understanding of emergency contraception among health workers. To understand how much the health workers knew about other options of emergency contraception and to verify that the information filled by them in the questionnaire matched their understanding of the subject, the health workers were interviewed after filling the questionnaire. The statistical method applied for this data collection and data analysis was done by using Mean & Percentages.

Keywords: Emergency Contraception, Health Workers, Health Education

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