Postpartum Green Star family planning decision aid for pregnant adolescents in Tanzania: a qualitative feasibility study

Abstract

Background The use of a decision aid in clinical settings has been beneficial. It informs and educates patients about the available treatment options that can help them reduce decision-making conflicts related to feeling uninformed compared with routine care. There is a scarcity of published data about using a decision aid during family planning counseling with postpartum women focusing on long-acting reversible contraception in Tanzania. Therefore, we developed a “postpartum Green Star family planning decision aid” and assessed its feasibility. The study outcomes were practicality, usefulness, and acceptability perceived by pregnant adolescents and nurses/midwives. Methods We used an exploratory qualitative in-depth interview involving six nurses/midwives with three or more years of experience in family planning services and 12 pregnant adolescents aged 15–19 years. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants, and selection relied on the saturation principle of data collection. We used a semi-structured interview guide translated into the Kiswahili language. Data were transcribed and analyzed following inductive content analysis. Results The amount of information presented was just right, with the time of reading the data ranging from 20 min to 1 h. The study participants perceived the flow of information to be good, with small significant changes suggested. Kiswahili language was used and reported to be appropriate and well elaborated. However, a few words were told to be rephrased to reduce ambiguity. The nurses/midwives said that the decision aid included most of the vital information the participants wanted to know during their family planning counseling. Pregnant adolescents stated that the decision aid improved their knowledge and provided new details on the long-acting reversible contraception methods (intrauterine copper devices and implants) offered immediately after childbirth. The participants stated that the decision aid addressed long-acting reversible contraception methods’ benefits and side effects and dispelled myths and misconceptions. The study participants considered the decision aid helpful in complementing the family planning counseling offered and improving pregnant adolescents’ knowledge. Conclusion The postpartum Green Star family planning decision aid was practical, useful, and acceptable in enhancing the objectivity of counseling about long-acting reversible contraception methods. It improved the knowledge of pregnant adolescents in Tanzania about the available contraception methods (i.e., the use of intrauterine copper devices and implants), which can be immediately used postpartum. Further research is needed to assess the effects of the decision aid on long-acting reversible contraception postpartum uptake among pregnant adolescents in Tanzania.

A Decision Aid for Postpartum Adolescent Family Planning: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Tanzania

“…We then carried out a feasibility study of the prototype decision aid to assessing its practicality, usefulness, and acceptability as perceived by pregnant adolescents and healthcare providers [ 14 ]. Finally, we developed the third and final version of the decision aid and named it postpartum “ Green Star ” family planning decision aid.…”

“…To our knowledge, however, there has been limited research on decision-support tools that emphasize long-acting reversible contraceptive techniques to increase family planning uptake by pregnant adolescents right after childbirth. This study designed [ 14 ] and tested the efficacy of the postpartum “ Green Star ” family planning decision aid on the decisional conflict, knowledge, satisfaction, and uptake of contraception among pregnant adolescents in Tanzania. We hypothesized that pregnant adolescents using the postpartum “ Green Star ” family planning decision aid will have a lower decision conflict scale (DCS) score than pregnant adolescents who are not using the decision aid (control group) and that knowledge and satisfaction scores will be higher in pregnant adolescents using the decision aid than in pregnant adolescents who are not using the decision aid (control group).…”

Does a postpartum “Green Star” family planning decision aid for adolescent mothers reduce decisional conflict? : A quasi-experimental study

“…We then previously carried out a feasibility study of the prototype decision aid to assess its practicality, usefulness, and acceptability as perceived by pregnant adolescents and healthcare providers. [41] In our previous feasibility study, we interviewed 6 healthcare providers and 12 pregnant adolescents. We asked the study participants questions about the length, flow, and comprehensibility of the prototype decision aid, and if this tool can meet the decision-making needs of pregnant adolescents.…”

The Effectiveness Of The Use Of Decision-Making Tools And WHO Wheel Criteria In the Selection Of Contraception For Post Partum Mother

“…At the same time, the ABPK is a simple, straightforward, informative, practical, easy-to-obtain, easyto-use, and helpful tool for services. Daily health (Herlyssa, Mulyati,S.,&Dairi, 2014;Mushy et al, 2021). ABPK is a family planning decision-making tool by acceptors that functions as an IEC media in making family planning method decisions, work aids for providers to help solve problems in the use of family planning, provide technical references/info, and visual aids for training new providers.…”