Effect of a mobile phone-assisted postpartum family planning service on the use of long-acting reversible contraception: a randomised controlled trial

• Published in: The European journal of contraception & reproductive health care Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 264 - 268
• Main Authors: Shaaban, Omar M., Saber, Treza, Youness, Entisar, Farouk, Manal, Abbas, Ahmed M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03.07.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Birth Intervals - psychology; Cell Phone; Contraception; Counseling - methods; family planning; Family Planning Services - methods; Female; Humans; LARC; Long-Acting Reversible Contraception - psychology; Long-Acting Reversible Contraception - statistics & numerical data; mobile phone; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Postpartum Period - psychology; Program Evaluation; Telemedicine - methods; family planning; Contraception; LARC; mobile phone
• ISSN: 1362-5187; 1473-0782
• DOI: 10.1080/13625187.2020.1764528

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of adding mobile phone call reminders to a postpartum family planning service on the initiation of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). A randomised, open-label controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03135288) was carried out at a university hospital between July 2017 and March 2019. The study comprised women who delivered a live birth at >28 weeks' gestation and who requested birth spacing for ≥1 year. Eligible women were recruited and randomised to two groups. The study group received contraceptive counselling and two reminders of their first postpartum appointment, one week and again 48 h before the appointment. The control group received contraceptive counselling but no mobile phone reminders of their first postpartum appointment. The primary outcome was the rate of initiation of a LARC method in the first 6 months postpartum. The study comprised 500 participants in each group. The rate of initiation and continuation of a LARC method was significantly higher in the study group compared with the control group (30.2% vs 8.4% and 95.4% vs 83.3%, respectively; p < .001). In the study group, 382 (76.4%) women had started using a contraceptive method during the first 6 months, compared with 218 (43.6%) women in the control group (p < .001). Using mobile phone reminders as part of the postpartum service increases the frequency of women who attends family planning clinics and initiates contraception, including a LARC methods, as well as the proportion who continue LARC use through the first 6 months postpartum.