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Reproductive Health |
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Screening Checklists for Family Planning ServicesTools for Service ProvidersFamily Health International, 2008 |
See Also:Topics pages about:Oral Contraceptives Injectables FHI's Quick Reference Chart for the Medical Eligibility Criteria of the WHO 
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Modern contraceptive methods are generally safe and effective for use by the majority of women. However, depending on a woman's current or past medical conditions, a specific contraceptive method may or may not be appropriate for use. Research findings have generated epidemiological and clinical evidence demonstrating the suitability of various contraceptive methods for women with specific individual characteristics (e.g., age, history of pregnancy) or with a known pre-existing medical/pathological condition (e.g., diabetes, hypertension). This scientific evidence has been reviewed and organized by experts through a consensus-driven process to form international family planning guidelines for medical eligibility for the initiation and continued use of contraceptive methods by women and men. Based on the most recent version of these guidelines — the WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria 2004 — and with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Family Health International (FHI) has developed a series of easy-to-use screening checklists for use by both clinical and non-clinical providers to determine if a woman is medically eligible to initiate use of four popular contraceptive methods: combined oral contraceptives (COCs), injectables (DMPA and NET-EN), the copper intrauterine device (IUD), and implants (available soon). A fifth checklist, entitled "How to be Reasonably Sure a Client is not Pregnant," enables providers to rule out pregnancy among nonmenstruating women seeking to initiate the contraceptive method of their choice at the time of their visit. These women would otherwise be denied contraception by providers who rely on the presence of menses as an indicator that a woman is not pregnant. This checklist is also based on criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify situations that effectively prevent a woman from getting pregnant. The checklists are available in various languages and may be accessed by clicking on any of the following links.
FHI and various partners have worked with the governments of several countries to adapt the screening checklists for consistency with their national family planning guidelines. The following country-adapted checklists have been endorsed by the respective Ministries of Health and are available by clicking the links below.
Application of Checklists in Service Delivery Practice FHI has also developed a series of Training and Reference Guides for each of the checklists. The guides have been developed for program managers, administrators, trainers, and service providers interested in learning how to use the checklists when delivering family planning services. Designed to serve as both a training and reference tool, each guide is composed of two parts: a training module and a collection of essential, up-to-date reference materials on the method in question as well as on the validity, effectiveness, and use of the checklists. The Training and Reference Guides are designed to be adapted locally, as needed. They are available in English and in French by clicking on the following links.
Information Resources
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