Contraceptive practices and awareness: a survey among nursing staff at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: India is the second most populous country in the world next to China. Increasing the contraceptive awareness and practice and proper implementation of family planning services are the major tool for improving the health of the population along with stabilizing it. Knowledge and contraceptive practice in the Nursing personnel can positively or negatively influence the population coming in contact with them. Objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of contraceptive methods among the nursing staff at a tertiary care set up.Methods: Tertiary care set up, cross sectional study. This was a cross sectional study conducted over a period of three months. Fifty staff nurses under the age of 49 years were interviewed through a pre-designed questionnaire regarding knowledge and use of contraceptive methods.Results: Contraception was practiced in 88 percent of the staff nurses. Barrier method of contraception was the most commonly used form of contraception. Permanent method of contraception was opted in 14 percent of cases. Fifty-seven percent of the females were aware of emergency contraception. Twenty-eight percent of females had used emergency contraception in the past.Conclusions: A high percentage of nursing staff was practicing some form of contraception; however, the use of permanent methods and hormonal methods remains low. Only half of study population was aware of post coital methods of contraception with only 28 percent having used it in the past.