The DHS Program

Quality of Care in Family Planning Services at Health Facilities in Senegal (English, French) 

Document Type

Analytical Studies

Publication Topic(s)

Family Planning

Country(s)

Senegal

Language

English,French

Recommended Citation

Assaf, Shireen, Wenjuan Wang, and Lindsay Mallick. 2015. Quality of Care in Family Planning Services at Health Facilities in Senegal. DHS Analytical Studies No. 55. Rockville, Maryland, USA: ICF International.

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Publication Date

September 2015

Publication ID

AS55

Abstract:

Analysis of quality of care in family planning services in Senegal was conducted using data from two rounds of the Senegal Service Provision Assessment (SPA) surveys of 2012-2013 and 2014. The measures of quality of care were divided into structure (infrastructure of the facility and availability of commodities), process (provider’s performance), and outcomes (client’s overall satisfaction with services and knowledge of their method’s protection from sexually transmitted infections [STIs]). Findings revealed that most facilities have the basic infrastructure required (adequate sanitation, improved water, and private examination room). However, some facilities lack electricity, communication equipment, emergency transport, and computer and Internet. Some facilities perform better than others in availability of equipment and diagnostic tests, and some regions outperform others. The presence of several family planning commodities has improved significantly, and the presence of injectables and pills, the two most used methods, remains high, although they are much more likely to be available in public than private facilities. The percentage of providers who offered various forms of counseling was relatively low. New clients were significantly more likely to receive counseling and a high- quality pelvic examination compared with returning clients. Although overall client satisfaction was relatively high (84 percent), only 58 percent of clients had correct knowledge of whether their method protects them from STIs. Counseling had a negative effect on overall client satisfaction and no effect on client’s correct knowledge concerning protection from STIs, indicating a lack of effectiveness of counseling methods. Notably, clients who saw a provider trained in family planning in the last two years significantly increased their odds of having correct knowledge of their method’s protection from STIs.