Abstract
BackgroundEmergency contraception, if used properly, can prevent up to over 95 % of unwanted and mistimed pregnancies. However, a number of obstacle including healthcare providers knowledge, perception, and attitude towards emergency contraception (EC) prevent women and adolescents from having access to EC.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study among 191 female final year nursing and midwifery students of Tamale Nurses and Midwives Training College in the Northern Region of Ghana. Purposive sampling method was used to sample 100 students from the nursing programme and 91 from the midwifery programme. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were performed to determine factors associated with awareness about EC and use of EC.ResultsOver four-fifths, 166(86.91%), of the participants indicated they had heard about EC prior to the study. Majority (80.10%) of the participants correctly indicated the time within which to take emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs). More than half, 105(54.97%), of the participants did not know the appropriate time within which to use IUD as EC. Almost four-fifths, 74(38.74%), of the participants indicated it is morally wrong to use EC and more than half, (n = 104, 54.45%), of them said EC use promotes promiscuity. Only 49(25.65%) participants said they had ever used ECP. Of the number that indicated ever-using ECP, 36(73.47%) cited condom breakage or slippage as the reason for using the method.ConclusionThough there was a relatively high level of EC awareness and knowledge among the students, some students lacked detailed knowledge about the method, especially the use of IUD as EC. We found that it was easy to access EC in the study area but the use of EC was low among the students. Most of the students demonstrated a positive attitude towards EC, but many of them believed EC encourages promiscuous sexual behaviour and that it is morally wrong to use EC. The curriculum for nursing and midwifery education should provide opportunity for detailed information and practical knowledge on EC to demystify negative perceptions and attitudes of nursing and midwifery students towards EC and other forms of contraception and to improve their knowledge on EC.
Highlights
Emergency contraception, if used properly, can prevent up to over 95 % of unwanted and mistimed pregnancies
Access to emergency contraception (EC) is important for young women who are vulnerable to sexual abuse and often lack the skills and power to negotiate use of a condom [3]
Ghanaian women had 0.6 children more than their ideal number of 3.6 children. This suggests that the total fertility rate (TFR) was 17% more than it would have been if unwanted births were avoided [4]
Summary
If used properly, can prevent up to over 95 % of unwanted and mistimed pregnancies. Emergency contraception provides women and adolescents with a second opportunity to prevent an unplanned or mistimed pregnancy within three to five days of unprotected sexual intercourse by preventing or temporarily stopping ovulation or by causing a chemical change in sperm and egg before they meet [1]. It ensures women and girls are able to circumvent the socioeconomic and negative health outcomes of unplanned and unintended pregnancy [2]. Unwanted pregnancies often lead to abortions performed in unsafe environments with complications such as haemorrhage, infections, infertility, or even death [5]
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