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Understanding the Family Planning Needs of Female Participants in a Syringe Exchange Program: A Needs Assessment and
Mary Tschann1, Tricia Wright, Heather Lusk
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa (MT, TW, WG, AC, BK); Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center, Honolulu, HI (HL).
Objectives:
To describe the reproductive health needs of women who inject drugs (WWID) and are participants in a syringe exchange program (SEP) in Hawaii. Our secondary objective was to develop and pilot services in response to those needs.
Methods:
We conducted a reproductive health needs-assessment of women participating in the SEP. We also documented the perspectives and recommendations of key informants who work closely with women in this program. This needs-assessment informed a pilot contraceptive project at the SEP.
Results:
We received surveys from 50 syringe exchange participants and hosted 1 focus group with 6 participants. We completed 8 key informant interviews. The majority of survey respondents indicated that they did not want to become pregnant in the next year, but most were not using a reliable method of contraception. Additionally, for most respondents, prevention of pregnancy was a lower priority than other health and wellness needs. Focus group participants and key informants emphasized the importance of developing a network of accessible providers to address reproductive health needs, and also the importance of using the principles of trauma-informed care when developing a service. We developed a pilot program to offer contraceptive injections at the syringe exchange program. In the first 6 months of offering the service, 1 participant elected to use the injection.
Conclusions:
WWID participating in this SEP may not prioritize their family planning needs when other health and safety needs are unmet. A pilot program to offer contraceptive injections at SEP had almost zero uptake.
