Table 4. Staff knowledge questions, OCPs (n=486).
| Questions and responses | % (n) | |
|---|---|---|
| In general, at what time during the menstrual cycle do you recommend that the client begin using oral contraceptives? | ||
| Anytime as long as the client is reasonably sure she is not pregnant. | 3 (13) | 1 point |
| At the beginning of her cycle | 78 (381) | |
| All other responses (anytime during her menstrual cycle, don’t know/no response) | 19 (92) | |
| In general, after finishing a 21-day pack of pills, how many days should the client wait before starting the next pack of pills? | ||
| 7 days/one week | 66 (322) | 1 point |
| Other (Most common responses under “other: included “it depends,” and “start immediately.”) | 16 (77) | |
| All other numerical responses | 18 (87) | |
| In general, after finishing a 28-day pack of pills, how many days should the client wait before starting the next pack of pills? | ||
| No wait/start immediately. | 62 (302) | 1 point |
| Other (The most common response under “other: was “I don’t know.”) | 15 (73) | |
| All other numerical responses | 23 (111) | |
|
In general, how many weeks after giving birth should a breastfeeding woman wait before starting combined oral
contraceptives? | ||
| 24 weeks/6 months | 7 (32) | 0.5 point |
| I don’t know | 40 (192) | |
| All other numerical responses | 54 (262) | |
|
In general, how many weeks after giving birth should a breastfeeding woman wait before starting progestin-only oral
contraceptives? | ||
| Six weeks or earlier | 18 (86) | 0.5 point |
| I don’t know | 49 (237) | |
| All other numerical responses | 33 (163) | |
| What are the most common side effects of oral contraceptives? a | ||
| Five or more correct side effects | 5 (25) | 1 point |
| Four side effects listed | 12 (57) | |
| Three side effects listed | 24 (118) | |
| Two side effects listed | 31 (151) | |
| One side effect listed | 20 (99) | |
| Zero side effects listed | 7 (36) | |
| Which drugs or type of drugs reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptive pills? b | ||
| Two or more correct drugs listed | 6 (29) | 1 point |
| One correct drug listed | 15 (74) | |
| Zero correct drugs listed | 79 (383) | |
| What are the reasons not to use oral contraceptive pills? c | ||
| Five or more correct reasons listed | 3 (12) | 1 point |
| Four correct reasons listed | 4 (17) | |
| Three correct reasons listed | 13 (61) | |
| Two correct reasons listed | 21 (104) | |
| One correct reason listed | 26 (126) | |
| Zero correct reasons listed | 34 (166) | |
| In what situations should you recommend a back-up method for oral contraceptives? d | ||
| Two or more correct situations listed | 5 (23) | 1 point |
| One situation listed | 45 (219) | |
| Zero situations listed | 50 (244) | |
OCP, oral contraceptive pill
a Correct responses include for headache, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, breast tenderness, spotting/breakthrough bleeding, weight gain.
b Correct responses include seizure medicine, antiretroviral (ART), tuberculosis medicine
c Correct responses include if client is pregnant, history of heart/circulation problems, breast cancer, severe liver disease, heavy smoker over 35 years old, breastfeeding first six months post-partum for combined OCPs, breastfeeding in first six weeks post-partum for Progestin-only OCPs, severe/complicated diabetes.
d Correct responses include if client forgets 3 or more pills, if she vomited soon after taking pill, if she starts the pill after the first 5 days of her menstrual cycle, if she forgets to take Progestin-only pill by more than 3 hours