Greetings,
Family Health International (FHI) is pleased to announce the release of a new family planning checklist
<http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/Pubs/servdelivery/checklists/implants/index.htm> for screening clients who want to initiate the use of contraceptive implants.
Contraceptive implants
<http://www.fhi.org/en/Topics/contraceptive_implants.htm> are matchstick-sized rods that contain progestin. Implanted beneath the skin of a woman's upper arm, the progestin is slowly released over 3 to 5 years. Contraceptive implants, such as Norplant, Jadelle, Sinoplant, and Implanon, are safe and effective for use by most women. For some women, implants are generally not recommended because of the presence of certain medical conditions, such as some liver tumors or breast cancer. This new checklist is designed to help health care providers screen clients for certain medical conditions to determine if they are appropriate candidates.
The implants checklist is based on recommendations included in the World Health Organization's Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (WHO MEC 2004; updated 2008). The checklist can be used by appropriately trained health care providers including nurses, nurse-midwives, nurse-practitioners, midwives, and physicians.
This checklist is part of a series of screening checklists for family planning services, all of which have been recently updated to reflect changes in WHO's guidance that resulted from an April 2008 WHO Working Group Meeting
<http://www.infoforhealth.org/globalhandbook/book/fph_frontmatter/whatsnew.shtml> . The other checklists include the Checklist for Screening Clients Who Want to Initiate Combined Oral Contraceptives, the Checklist for Screening Clients Who Want to Initiate DMPA (or NET-EN), the Checklist for Screening Clients Who Want to Initiate Use of the Copper IUD, and the checklist entitled How to be Reasonably Sure a Client is Not Pregnant. These are available in English, French, and Spanish. The implants checklist will soon be available in French. They can all be downloaded at the following link:
http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/Pubs/servdelivery/checklists/index.htm.
Printed copies of all five checklists are available at no cost to organizations and libraries working in developing countries. Please send requests to publications@fhi.org.
David Hock
Family Health International
mailto:dhock@fhi.org