Who Provides Family Planning?

Many different people can learn to inform and advise people about family planning and to provide family planning methods. Countries and programs have various guidelines about who can offer which methods and where, and some have rules that differ depending on whether the client is starting a new method or is continuing a method. Still, in countries around the world these people commonly provide family planning:

Nurses, nurse-midwives, nurse-practitioners
Auxiliary nurse-midwives
Midwives
Physicians, including gynecologists and obstetricians
Physicians' assistants, physicians' associates
Pharmacists, pharmacists' assistants, chemists
Primary health care providers, community health care providers
Community-based health workers and community members serving as community-based distributors
Specifically trained traditional birth attendants
Shopkeepers and vendors
Volunteers, experienced users of family planning, peer educators, and community leaders

Specific training helps all these people do a better job at providing family planning. Training needs to cover skills in informing and counseling clients about choosing and using specific methods including their side effects as well as teaching any specific technical skills such as how to give injections or insert an IUD. Checklists can help a wide range of providers and managers in various ways, such as screening clients for medical eligibility criteria, making sure all steps in a process are carried out (such as infection prevention), and assuring good quality of services.

Method	Who can provide?
Oral contraceptives, combined patch, combined vaginal ring	All providers with training, including brief specific training.
Emergency contraceptive pills	All providers.
Injectables	Anyone trained to give injections and to handle needles and syringes properly, including appropriate disposal. This includes community-based health care providers.
Implants	Anyone with training in medical procedures and training in insertion of the specific implants being used, including physicians, nurses, nurse-midwives, nurse-practitioners, midwives, physicians' assistants and associates.
Intrauterine device (copper-bearing and hormonal IUDs)	Anyone with training in medical procedures and specific training in IUD screening, insertion, and removal including physicians, nurses, nurse-midwives, midwives, nurse-practitioners, physicians' assistants and associates, and medical students. Training is different for the copper-bearing IUD and the hormonal IUD. In some countries pharmacists sell IUDs—the woman takes the IUD to a health care provider who inserts it.
Female sterilization	Anyone with specific training in the procedure, including general physicians, specialized physicians (such as gynecologists and surgeons), medical assistants or medical students under supervision. Laparoscopy is best performed by experienced and specifically trained surgeons.
Vasectomy	Anyone with specific training in the procedure, including physicians, medical officers, nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, midwives, physicians' assistants and associates.
Male and female condoms and spermicides	All providers.
Diaphragms and cervical caps	Any provider specifically trained to perform pelvic examinations and to choose the right size diaphragm or cervical cap for each woman.
Fertility awareness methods	Anyone specifically trained to teach fertility awareness. Experienced users of these methods often make the best teachers.
Withdrawal, lactational amenorrhea method	These methods do not require a provider. Still, knowledgeable and supportive health care providers can help clients use these methods most effectively.

Go to Previous Chapter Previous Chapter Go to Previous Page Previous Page Next Page Go to Next Page Next Chapter Go to Next Chapter