Women who have experienced complications from incomplete abortion are among the most neglected of reproductive health care patients. The medical care provided to them is generally poor, the quality of communication between care providers and pratients is below acceptable standards, and patients often are nto referred to appropriate family planning services when treatment is complete. Although public health professionals worldwide have been working on the issues surrounding unsafe abortion for decades, only recently has postabortion care become a priority of women's reproductive health programs. This paper reviews the results from eight operations research studies on postabortion care conducted in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The review includes a comprehensive discussion of the ethical issues of conducting postabortion research. The paper concludes with a discussion of future operation research issues.
Learning Objectives: At the close of this presentation the participants will be able to identify: 1) Lessons learned from contemporary operations research on postabortion care conducted in three regions of the developing world. 2) Identify future directions for improving postabortion care services
Keywords: Post-Abortion Care, International Reproductive Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.