Quality of family planning counseling among women attending prenatal care at a hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of family planning counseling among women attending a prenatal clinic in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. METHODS: In a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted between February and April 2015 at the prenatal care clinic of Saint Pauls Hospital Millennium Medical College Addis Ababa Ethiopia pregnant women in their third trimester were interviewed about their experience of family planning counseling. Data were collected via a questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to assess predictors of satisfaction with the counseling service. RESULTS: During the study period 400 women were interviewed. Only 139 women (34.8%) were counseled about family planning. Among those counseled 126 (90.6%) decided to use a contraceptive method after delivery and 46 (36.7%) decided to use an injectable contraceptive. Women were more likely to report high satisfaction when their provider asked about their partners attitude toward contraceptive methods (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 6.6; P<0.001) and when asked about their concerns and worries regarding family planning methods (AOR 5.1; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Very few women were counseled about contraception during prenatal care. Asking about a partners attitude toward contraceptives and discussing womens fears or worries about contraceptives should be considered during family planning counseling to improve satisfaction and quality of care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.