JHPIEGO TrainerNews™ |
TRH Launches Standard Days Method™
Acceptability Study in Burkina Faso
(December 2002)
On 19 and 20 December, four midwives completed a training of trainers and supervisors course in the Standard Days Method (SDM) at the Division of Family Health (DSF) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This activity launched a pilot study that is being undertaken to test the programmatic feasibility of introducing the SDM into the current method mix at three SPFS clinics in Burkina Faso. The study will also evaluate the acceptability of this new method by providers and clients at the clinics.
This study is being conducted by JHPIEGO's TRH project in partnership with the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) of Georgetown University and with support from the Laboratory for Applied Studies in Development (LEADD) in Benin. The SDM study has been developed in close collaboration with the regional SFPS office and partners in the SFPS/Burkina office, with input and collaboration from the Ministry of Health.
The purpose of this study is to respond to the current unmet need for family planning in Burkina Faso and to build on current practices by integrating a new and effective method into the family planning method mix at existing reproductive health clinics in Burkina. The SDM has proven to be a highly effective (failure rate of less than 5 percent) method of family planning that is acceptable in a wide variety of cultural settings (including Benin and other West African countries). Part of its attractiveness is its accompanying visual aid, CycleBeads (TM), a simple device consisting of a color-coded string of beads, which represents the woman's menstrual cycle and helps women and couples identify the days of the women's cycles when they can get pregnant and the days when pregnancy is very unlikely.
The December training activity was a very interactive one, which included role plays, case studies and a review of SDM training materials and scientific articles. Two colleagues from Benin led the training with assistance from a Georgetown/IRH representative. The four trainers/supervisors who received training are all competent midwives, experienced in counseling and family planning. This training will be replicated in early January 2003 for five additional trainers/ supervisors, including both doctors and midwives. Trainers and supervisors trained in these courses will then train and supervise providers to provide SDM services.
For more information about this activity, contact Chris Davis at repro@jhpiego.net.