The effect of skills training on attitudes, knowledge and clinical uptake of postplacental intra-uterine device use

• Main Authors: Christine Els, Johannes L van der Merwe, Justin Harvey, Petrus Steyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: PAGEPress Publications 2016-02-01
• Series: Healthcare in Low-resource Settings
• Subjects: Post-placental IUD; Post-partum; Skills training
• Online Access: http://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/hls/article/view/5278

The objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of skills training on knowledge and attitudes of post-placental intra-uterine device (PPIUD) use, including the uptake thereof, and suggest training proposals. In-service skills training, alongside departmental protocol implementation, on PPIUD insertions were offered to healthcare professionals at Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa. Training was based on <em>The postpartum intrauterine device. A training course for service providers</em>, participant handbook from EngenderHealth (New York, NY, USA). Participants completed a questionnaire at enrolment and after 6 months to assess their knowledge and attitude towards PPIUD use. Most participants reported having the necessary skills to fulfil their family planning responsibilities (Ppost-partum women (P=0.03), especially those who desire no more children (P=0.05), resulting in more participants providing IUDs (P=0.03) that could be attributed to the increased availability of reference material, <em>i.e.</em> training materials (P=0.02) and protocols (P=0.02). In conclusion, in-service PPIUD skills training guided by local protocol implementation resulted in an improvement of self-reported competency, counselling and PPIUD insertion. Repeated training with adequate supervision is imperative.