Population Council Research that makes a difference

Population Association of America Annual Meeting
15–17 April 2010

Abstract

"Improving quality of family planning services for an urban slum population: Experiences from Bangladesh"
Md. Noorunnabi Talukder and Ubaidur Rob

To enhance quality of family planning services provided by NGO clinics in selected urban slum areas in Bangladesh, an operations research study was conducted. Findings suggest improvements in the service providers' competence in client screening. Clients visiting clinics were offered informed counseling—most of the clients were provided with information on the effectiveness of the chosen method, how to use the method, possible side effects and complications, and follow-up visits. Due to interventions, service providers were more likely to use BCC materials during counseling. Findings also indicate improvements in the providers' interpersonal interactions with clients. It was observed that training on systematic screening enabled providers to identify clients' unmet needs for family planning and subsequently to provide those services. Key lessons learned are that training contributes to improvement of services, but for achieving the expected level of quality in services, effective supervision and encouragement from senior officials is necessary.

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