Using operations research to enhance delivery of postpartum/postabortion family planning services in the Arab region

The FRONTIERS program in Cairo organized a two-and-half day workshop to share programmatic experiences and lessons learned in integrating family planning with service providers from Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, and Yemen representing mid-level program managers and researchers. The workshop was held on March 25 - 27, 2008 in tandem with a national end of project seminar for stakeholders in Egypt. The workshop was largely participatory and combined plenary sessions, discussions and working groups, with objectives to enhance utilization of those best practices and to increase their impact. Throughout the presentations and discussions, participants emphasized the need to capture missed opportunities in antenatal, delivery, postpartum or postabortion care by providing family planning services in all encounters between women and the health care system. They also agreed on an overarching need for operations research in assisting policy makers and program managers in selecting model(s) of integration best suited for the individual local settings. (Author abstract)