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- Atuhairwe, Susan, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluating the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of treatment of incomplete second-trimester abortion using misoprostol provided by midwives compared with physicians : study protocol for a randomized controlled equivalence trial
- 2019
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Ingår i: Trials. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1745-6215. ; 20:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A large proportion of abortion-related mortality and morbidity occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy. The Uganda Ministry of Health policy restricts management of second-trimester incomplete abortion to physicians who are few and unequally distributed, with most practicing in urban regions. Unsafe and outdated methods like sharp curettage are frequently used. Medical management of second-trimester post-abortion care by midwives offers an advantage given the difficulty in providing surgical management in low-income settings and current health worker shortages. The study aims to assess the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of treatment of incomplete second-trimester abortion using misoprostol provided by midwives compared with physicians.METHODS: A randomized controlled equivalence trial implemented at eight hospitals and health centers in Central Uganda will include 1192 eligible women with incomplete abortion of uterine size > 12 weeks up to 18 weeks. Each participant will be randomly assigned to undergo a clinical assessment and treatment by either a midwife (intervention arm) or a physician (control arm). Enrolled participants will receive 400 μg misoprostol administered sublingually every 3 h up to five doses within 24 h at the health facility until a complete abortion is confirmed. Women who do not achieve complete abortion within 24 h will undergo surgical uterine evacuation. Pre discharge, participants will receive contraceptive counseling and information on what to expect in terms of side effects and signs of complications, with follow-up 14 days later to assess secondary outcomes. Analyses will be by intention to treat. Background characteristics and outcomes will be presented using descriptive statistics. Differences between groups will be analyzed using risk difference (95% confidence interval) and equivalence established if this lies between the predefined range of - 5% and + 5%. Chi-square tests will be used for comparison of outcome and t tests used to compare mean values. P ≤ 0.05 will be considered statistically significant.DISCUSSION: Our study will provide evidence to inform national and international policies, standard care guidelines and training program curricula on treatment of second-trimester incomplete abortion for improved access.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03622073 . Registered on 9 August 2018.
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| 3. |
- Bakesiima, Ritah, et al.
(författare)
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Modern contraceptive use among female refugee adolescents in northern Uganda : prevalence and associated factors
- 2020
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Ingår i: Reproductive Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1742-4755. ; 17:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Adolescent pregnancies are persistently high among refugees. The pregnancies have been attributed to low contraceptive use in this population. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with modern contraceptive use among female refugee adolescents in northern Uganda.METHODS: This was a cross sectional study using both descriptive and analytical techniques. The study was carried out in Palabek refugee settlement in Northern Uganda from May to July 2019. A total of 839 refugee adolescents who were sexually active or in-union were consecutively enrolled. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used for data collection.RESULTS: Modern contraceptive prevalence was 8.7% (95% CI: 7.0 to 10.8). The injectable was the most commonly used modern contraceptive method [42.5% (95% CI: 31.5 to 54.3)], and most of the participants had used the contraceptives for 6 months or less (59.7%). Reasons for not using modern contraceptives included fear of side effects (39.3%), partner prohibition (16.4%), and the desire to become pregnant (7.0%). Participants who were married (OR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.35, p < 0.001), cohabiting (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.93, p = 0.032) or having an older partner (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.86 to 0.99, p = 0.046) were less likely to use modern contraceptives.CONCLUSION: Modern contraceptive use among female refugee adolescents was very low, and few reported a desire to become pregnant, leaving them vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies. Least likely to use modern contraceptives were participants who were married/cohabiting and those having older partners implying a gender power imbalance in fertility decision making. There is an urgent need for innovations to address the gender and power imbalances within relationships, which could shape fertility decision-making and increase modern contraceptive use among refugee adolescents.
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| 4. |
- Cleeve, Amanda, et al.
(författare)
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Abortion as agentive action: reproductive agency among young women seeking post-abortion care in Uganda
- 2017
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Ingår i: Culture, Health and Sexuality. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1369-1058 .- 1464-5351. ; 19:11, s. 1286-1300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Unsafe abortion in Africa continues to be a major contributor to the global maternal mortality which affects young women in particular. In Uganda, where abortion is legally restricted and stigmatised, unsafe abortion is a major public health issue. We explored reproductive agency in relation to unsafe abortion among young women seeking post-abortion care. Through in-depth interviews we found that reproductive agency was constrained by gender norms and power imbalances and strongly influenced by stigma. Lack of resources and the need for secrecy resulted in harmful abortion practices and delayed care-seeking. Women did not claim ownership of the abortion decision, but the underlying meaning in the narratives positioned abortion as an agentive action aiming to regain control over one's body and future. Women's experiences shaped contraceptive intentions and discourse, creating a window of opportunity that was often missed. This study provides unique insight into how young women negotiate and enact reproductive agency in Uganda. Health systems need to strengthen their efforts to meet young women's sexual and reproductive health needs and protect their rights. Enabling young women's agency through access to safe abortion and contraception is paramount.
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| 5. |
- Cleeve, Amanda, et al.
(författare)
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Morality versus duty - A qualitative study exploring midwives' perspectives on post-abortion care in Uganda
- 2019
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Ingår i: Midwifery. - : Elsevier BV. - 0266-6138 .- 1532-3099. ; 77, s. 71-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore midwives' perspectives on post-abortion care (PAC) in Uganda. Specifically, we sought to improve understanding of the quality of care.DESIGN: This was a qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews and an inductive thematic analysis.SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Interviews were conducted with 22 midwives (the 'informants') providing PAC in a public hospital in Kampala, Uganda. The narratives were based on experiences in current and previous workplaces, in rural and urban settings.FINDINGS: The findings comprise one main theme - morality versus duty to provide quality post-abortion care - and three sub-themes. Our findings confirm that the midwives were committed to saving women's lives but had conflicting personal morality in relation to abortion and sense of professional duty, which seemed to influence their quality of care. Midwives were proud to provide PAC, which was described as a natural part of midwifery. However, structural challenges, such as lack of supplies and equipment and high patient loads, hampered provision of good quality care and left informants feeling frustrated. Although abortion was often implied to be immoral, the experience of PAC provision appeared to shape views on legality, leading to an ambiguous, yet more liberal, stance. Abortion stigma was reported to exist within communities and the health workforce, extending to both providers and care-seeking women. Informants had witnessed mistreatment of women seeking care due to abortion complications, through deliberate care delays and denial of pain medication.KEY CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Midwives in PAC were dedicated to saving women's lives; however, conflicting morality and duty and poor working conditions impeded quality of care. Enabling midwives to provide good quality care includes increasing the patient-midwife ratio and ensuring essential resources are available. Additionally, efforts that de-stigmatise abortion and promote accountability are needed. Implementation of policies on respectful post-abortion care could aid in ensuring all women are treated with respect.
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| 6. |
- Cleeve, Amanda
(författare)
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Post abortion care in Uganda : improving access and quality of care through task sharing and exploring the perspectives of young women and healthcare providers
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- BACKGROUND. Unsafe abortions in Uganda continue to cause significant harm to women’s health and lives and pose a heavy burden on the health system. The consistent shortage and maldistribution of healthcare providers impede women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare including post abortion care. Research and government reports indicate that access to post abortion care is inequitable and that the quality of care is sometimes poor. A task share between physicians and midwifes in the diagnosis and treatment of 1st trimester incomplete abortion using misoprostol, has the potential to increase women’s access to care. Improving access and quality of care further demands better appreciation of abortion decision-making and care-seeking, as well as clarity surrounding the quality of post abortion care and aspect that contribute to sub-standard care. AIM. The aim of this thesis is to identify means to improve access and quality of post abortion care in low-resource settings through task sharing and by exploring the perspectives of young women and healthcare providers in Uganda. METHODS. Study I was a multi-centre randomised controlled equivalence trial carried out in the central region of Uganda. The study aimed to investigate the safety, effectiveness and acceptability of diagnosis and treatment of 1st trimester incomplete abortion with misoprostol provided by midwives compared with physicians. Study II focused on the perspectives of young women (15–24 years) seeking post abortion care. The study explored reproductive agency in relation to unsafe abortion through individual in-depth interviews. We wanted to understand how the social environment shaped young women’s reproductive agency and actions, and under what circumstances abortions were conducted and post-abortion care was sought. Study III focused on healthcare providers’ perspectives on post abortion care. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with midwives providing post abortion care. We specifically wanted to shed light on the quality of care, including working conditions and the role of stigma. FINDINGS. We found that diagnosis and treatment of 1st trimester incomplete abortion with misoprostol was safe, effective and acceptable when care was provided by midwives compared with physicians. Women’s acceptability was high and influenced by treatment experience and outcome (Study I). Interviews with young women revealed that reproductive agency was constrained and heavily influenced by stigma. Abortion was described as their least-wanted yet only option. At the same time, abortion was depicted as an agentive action intended to reclaim control. Maintaining secrecy was key but also incurred risk taking, and when experiencing complications, many women struggled to access care. The abortion experience seemed to shape discourse in relation to contraceptive intentions and decision-making (Study II). We found that midwives were dedicated to prevent mortality and morbidity and considered post abortion care an essential part of midwifery. However, midwives’ personal morality conflicted with their professional duty and commitment to provide post abortion care of good quality. Together with a challenging work environment, this hampered the provision of good-quality care. Finally, we found that stigma extended to both healthcare providers and women seeking care, especially to women who had induced an abortion (Study III). CONCLUSIONS Scaling up task sharing with midwives in post abortion care using misoprostol is safe, effective and highly acceptable to women and can improve access to care (Study I). Enabling young women’s reproductive agency requires addressing harmful gender norms and stigma related to pregnancy and abortion. Improving access to safe abortion and contraceptives is paramount to young women’s empowerment and their sexual and reproductive health and rights (Study II). Safeguarding equitable and good-quality post abortion care requires an enabling environment and strengthening of the midwifery role. Furthermore, abortion stigma and its implications for both healthcare providers and care-seeking women must be addressed (Study III). Findings from this thesis may be used to guide future endeavours to improve access and quality of post abortion care, and to promote and protect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young women.
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| 8. |
- Cleeve, Amanda, et al.
(författare)
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Women's acceptability of misoprostol treatment for incomplete abortion by midwives and physicians : secondary outcome analysis from a randomized controlled equivalence trial at district level in Uganda
- 2016
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 11:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess women´s acceptability of diagnosis and treatment of incomplete abortion with misoprostol by midwives, compared with physicians.METHODS: This was an analysis of secondary outcomes from a multi-centre randomized controlled equivalence trial at district level in Uganda. Women with first trimester incomplete abortion were randomly allocated to clinical assessment and treatment with misoprostol by a physician or a midwife. The randomisation (1:1) was done in blocks of 12 and stratified for health care facility. Acceptability was measured in expectations and satisfaction at a follow up visit 14-28 days following treatment. Analysis of women's overall acceptability was done using a generalized linear mixed-effects model with an equivalence range of -4% to 4%. The study was not masked. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.org, NCT 01844024.RESULTS: From April 2013 to June 2014, 1108 women were assessed for eligibility of which 1010 were randomized (506 to midwife and 504 to physician). 953 women were successfully followed up and included in the acceptability analysis. 95% (904) of the participants found the treatment satisfactory and overall acceptability was found to be equivalent between the two study groups. Treatment failure, not feeling calm and safe following treatment, experiencing severe abdominal pain or heavy bleeding following treatment, were significantly associated with non-satisfaction. No serious adverse events were recorded.CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of incomplete abortion with misoprostol by midwives and physician was highly, and equally, acceptable to women.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01844024.
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| 9. |
- Klingberg-Allvin, Marie, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of treatment of incomplete abortion with misoprostol by physicians and midwives at district level in Uganda : a randomised controlled equivalence trial
- 2015
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Ingår i: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 385:9985, s. 2392-2398
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Misoprostol is established for the treatment of incomplete abortion but has not been systematically assessed when provided by midwives at district level in a low-resource setting. We investigated the effectiveness and safety of midwives diagnosing and treating incomplete abortion with misoprostol, compared with physicians.METHODS: We did a multicentre randomised controlled equivalence trial at district level at six facilities in Uganda. Eligibility criteria were women with signs of incomplete abortion. We randomly allocated women with first-trimester incomplete abortion to clinical assessment and treatment with misoprostol either by a physician or a midwife. The randomisation (1:1) was done in blocks of 12 and was stratified for study site. Primary outcome was complete abortion not needing surgical intervention within 14-28 days after initial treatment. The study was not masked. Analysis of the primary outcome was done on the per-protocol population with a generalised linear-mixed effects model. The predefined equivalence range was -4% to 4%. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01844024.FINDINGS: From April 30, 2013, to July 21, 2014, 1108 women were assessed for eligibility. 1010 women were randomly assigned to each group (506 to midwife group and 504 to physician group). 955 women (472 in the midwife group and 483 in the physician group) were included in the per-protocol analysis. 452 (95·8%) of women in the midwife group had complete abortion and 467 (96·7%) in the physician group. The model-based risk difference for midwife versus physician group was -0·8% (95% CI -2·9 to 1·4), falling within the predefined equivalence range (-4% to 4%). The overall proportion of women with incomplete abortion was 3·8% (36/955), similarly distributed between the two groups (4·2% [20/472] in the midwife group, 3·3% [16/483] in the physician group). No serious adverse events were recorded.INTERPRETATION: Diagnosis and treatment of incomplete abortion with misoprostol by midwives is equally safe and effective as when provided by physicians, in a low-resource setting. Scaling up midwives' involvement in treatment of incomplete abortion with misoprostol at district level would increase access to safe post-abortion care.FUNDING: The Swedish Research Council, Karolinska Institutet, and Dalarna University.
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