Introducing WHOs sexual and reproductive health guidelines and tools into national programmes. Principles and processes of adaptation and implementation.

The Departments of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) and Making Pregnancy Safer (MPS) at the World Health Organization (WHO) have developed a series of guidelines and tools to promote evidence-based practices in sexual and reproductive health within programs. The guidance developed by WHO/RHR and WHO/MPS includes: norms standards and protocols designed to inform the development and revision of national policies and standards; programmatic guides to inform the development of sexual and reproductive health programs; tools and clinical guides designed to be used by health-care providers in clinical setting according to evidence-based norms. The guidance covers a range of themes including maternal and neonatal health family planning prevention and control of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections (RTIs/STIs) and the prevention of unsafe abortion. The various documents are based on scientific evidence and have been developed by WHO/RHR and WHO/MPS as generic global materials that are not specific to any one national context. (excerpt)