FAMILY PLANNING SERVICE UPTAKE IN HOSPITALS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Family planning refers to a couple's ability to have the number of children they want by spacing out their children appropriately or a person's ability to avoid unintended pregnancies by using various contraceptive methods and infertility treatment. All hospitals in Rivers State, Nigeria, that provide primary care, offer family planning services.

To describe the pattern of family planning service uptake in the hospitals in Rivers State.

An 8-year retrospective review of data collection from the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS 2) platform in the Health Management Information System in Rivers State was conducted. Data from 387 health facilities were collated and keyed into the DHIS2 platform. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21 and represented as frequencies, percentages and charts.

During the period under review, the Family Planning clinics counselled a total of 931,774 individuals, of whom 421,785 (45.3%) accepted family planning services. Condoms (65.3%) were the most widely utilized contraceptive, whereas bilateral tubal ligation (0.1%) was the least utilized. Other methods were injectable, implant, oral contraceptive pills and intrauterine contraceptive devices accounting for 16.1%, 9.4%, 7.8%, and 1.3%, respectively. A significant increase was observed in the trend of use of condoms, injectables and oral contraceptive pills between 2016-2021.

The findings were that there was an increasing trend in the yearly utilization of family planning services among women of childbearing age in the State from 2014 - 2021. Condom being the most utilized indicates that it is the most accepted and approved by clients in family planning clinics in Rivers State. The knowledge of contraceptive utilization trends can be used to monitor and appraise the acceptance and approval of each method and family planning program over a period.