Researchers did this study to discover whether a hand-out explaining the benefits of IUCs and implants could increase their uptake in Hull, UK.

We developed a simple double-sided A4 hand-out. On one side was a script with pictures of copper and levonorgestrel IUCs next to a twenty pence coin and an implant beside a hairgrip. On the other side was the three-tiered effectiveness chart published in the textbook Contraceptive Technology.

There was no impact on GP practices. There was no overall impact in FP clinics, except for the service hub. There was an increase in the proportion of women receiving IUCs or implants of 15.0% between October 2011–April 2012 and May 2012–November 2012. A change in-clinic procedure to reduce waiting times caused staff to stop dispensing hand-outs.

The study concluded that there was no impact on GPs because they did not implement the project. The project was poorly implemented at the four satellite FP clinics. Only the service hub implemented the project, where it had a clear impact. We conclude that this simple, very low-cost long-acting reversible contraception intervention was highly effective and extremely cost-effective when implemented as intended.

Reference: https://srh.bmj.com/content/41/1/60

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