Accessibility and availability of the Female Condom2: Healthcare provider’s perspective

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the acceptability of the Female Condom2 (FC2) as a contraceptive method by some women, it remains inaccessible and unavailable to the majority of women because of affordability, training, distribution and marketing strategies. The FC2 affords women dual protection and the option to negotiate safe sex.ObjectiveThis paper explores and describes the perspective of the healthcare providers regarding accessibility and availability of the FC2 as a contraceptive method in the Tshwane district.MethodThe study used an explorative, descriptive, and qualitative design. Data were collected from 26 healthcare providers who were purposively selected. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with these healthcare providers in the Tshwane district. Tesch’s method of open coding was used for data analysis.ResultsTwo main themes emerged, namely, the availability of the FC2 and the knowledge of the healthcare providers. The findings of this study indicated that the availability of the FC2 remains a challenge because of factors such as lack of affordability, inefficient procurement and lack of distribution measures. The condoms are also not available at strategic points so as to ensure accessibility. Insufficient knowledge amongst healthcare providers was described as a barrier which affects the quality of training of the service users.ConclusionsIt is evident that the FC2 is not yet available in all healthcare settings, therefore strategies to safeguard accessibility and availability of the FC2 as a contraceptive method are recommended.

Awareness and utilization of female condoms among street youths in Ibadan, an urban setting in South-West Nigeria

“…Low utilization of female condoms can be attributed to; its being less well known unlike the male condom, not being readily available and accessible especially in resource poor settings [24]. Other reasons are the male-dominated cultural norms that makes it difficult for women to initiate use female (or any) condoms, the misconception of poor sexual satisfaction with the use of female or male condoms during sex preference for male condoms, partner disapproval, insertion difficulties, use of hormonal pills to prevent pregnancy, stigma and shame associated with the purchase of female condoms [2, 24, 25]. Level of education has been found to be a predictor for use of female condoms with more educated individuals utilizing it more than the less educated.…”

Supporting communities of practice: A reflection on the benefits and challenges facing communities of practice for research and engagement in nursing

“…We chose autoethnography, as described by Ellis (2004), as an approach to researching our communities of practice. We realise that different group members may have had different experiences and thus different ways of describing and analysing their own experiences in their community of practice (see, for example, the articles by Mataboge et al 2014, and Phiri et al 2015.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Sex Workers of Three South African Towns towards Female Condom Use and Contraceptives

“…The North-West (NW) and Eastern Cape (EC) provinces are two of South Africa's nine (9) provinces located in the north-west and south-east of the country, respectively. The study was conducted in two brothels in Brits and Rustenburg (NW) and in two brothels in Joza township in Grahamstown (EC) between 20-29 September 2018.…”

“…Although the contraceptive utilisation rate is high in South Africa, at 64% among sexually active women, unplanned and teenage pregnancies are an on-going problem [3,4]. Many South Africans are believed to be using condoms for HIV prophylaxis, but there are challenges with the use of condoms in certain communities [1,[5][6][7][8][9][10].…”