Elements of Family Planning Success

Full Title: Asia-Pacific operational framework for linking HIV/STI services with reproductive, adolescent, maternal, newborn and child health services.
Abstract:
Distinct interventions are needed to improve reproductive health (RH), adolescent reproductive health (ARH), maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH), and prevention and management of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). Yet common underlying causes and shared solutions provide the basis for linkages that can strengthen all services and increase the reach of HIV prevention and testing. This Operational Framework provides information about how to create these linkages and what factors to take into account in doing so. The emphasis is not on creating all possible linkages, but on doing what is possible and advisable given local factors such as epidemiology, current skill sets, the current organization of the health system, resources available, and health system usage patterns. In settings with low HIV prevalence, for example, outreach to specific populations may be more important than forming linkages between two broad-based services. Especially when resources are limited, linkages that add information (such as prevention messages or a simple screening) will be easier to implement than linkages that require extensive clinical judgment for referral or clinical treatment. Central policies are needed to support the introduction of linkages, but they should incorporate community input and allow for local-level modification and ownership. If these factors are taken into account, linkages between RH, ARH, MNCH and HIV/STI services have great potential to achieve efficiency gains and increased targeting of client populations.