AMERICAS
Ecuador

The Population Council has been conducting research in Ecuador since 1986. Recent projects have focused on the financial sustainability of reproductive health services, acceptability of emergency contraception among different sub-groups of women, safe motherhood, and postabortion services.

Client and child in family planning clinic, Ecuador

People Living with HIV/AIDS and Their Involvement in Community-based Service Delivery 
There is wide consensus about the value of increasing the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in HIV/AIDS services and programs. 

A four-country study (Burkina Faso, Ecuador, India, and Zambia) identified factors that help or limit PLHA involvement in nongovernmental organizations. Researchers also explored the impact on the quality and effectiveness of the services, and practical strategies for improving  participation. In Ecuador, the study was implemented by Kimirina in collaboration with the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, as part of the Council's Horizons Program.

Financial Sustainability
In the area of financial sustainability, the Council has maintained a long-term relationship with the Centro Médico de Orientación y Planificación Familiar (CEMOPLAF). The Council conducted studies of consumer willingness to pay for services and analyzed the price elasticity of the demand for services, the effectiveness of providing laboratory services in generating program income, the profitability of mini-pharmacies operating in clinics, and the effect of IUD revisit requirements.

Other sustainability studies include an experiment to compare the impact of three models of price increases as well as operations research related to the sustainability of social marketing programs. These studies assess program profitability and productivity, determine the profile of retail purchasers, and evaluate the quality of information provided to retail purchasers of contraceptives.

Assessing the Acceptability of Emergency Contraception
Studies to assess the acceptability of emergency contraception for clients such as rape victims and adolescents, were conducted with technical assistance from the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). The Council helped organize a conference on emergency contraception, which was attended by participants from 14 Latin American countries. On return to their countries, the participants conducted workshops, gave talks, and disseminated research results through the mass media.

Improving Quality of Services
The Population Council conducted a test to see if requiring a second opinion before performing cesarean sections would reduce the number of procedures. The number of c-sections at Quito hospitals had been well above the World Health Organization's suggested target rate. The result of Council testing was a 17 percent reduction, along with reduced hospital stays for both mothers and babies, with consequent cost savings. 

The Council also developed and tested a family planning flip-chart, which increased the quality of care provided to patients in the clinics, and developed and tested emergency obstetric care guidelines. 

A postabortion care study showed that patients receiving manual vacuum aspirations to treat the results of incomplete abortions at one site were unnecessarily detained an average of 10.6 hours after their procedures. Investigators demonstrated that training and reorganization of services were needed in order to realize potential cost-savings.

Selected Projects

• FRONTIERS projects

  • Impact of Varying Frequency and Magnitude of Price Increases for Clinical Reproductive Health Services (completed 2003)

  • Extending Operations Research to Social Marketing Programs (completed 2001)

• Horizons project

  • Diagnostic Study on the Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS in the Delivery of Community-based Prevention and Care Services (completed 2002)

Publications/Resources on Ecuador

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This page updated 16 April 2007

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