Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25886459›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2015

Health care providers' perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: a systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative data.

Ulrika Rehnström Loi, Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson, Elisabeth Faxelid, Marie Klingberg-Allvin

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. The Effects of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Adolescent Pregnancy in Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ulrika Rehnström LoiDepartment of Public Health Sciences/IHCAR, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. ulrika.rehnstrom@ki.se.
Kristina Gemzell-DanielssonDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet/Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden. Kristina.Gemzell@ki.se.
Elisabeth FaxelidDepartment of Public Health Sciences/IHCAR, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Elisabeth.Faxelid@ki.se.
Marie Klingberg-AllvinDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet/Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden. mkl@du.se.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnsafe abortions are a serious public health problem and a major human rights issue. In low-income countries, where restrictive abortion laws are common, safe abortion care is not always available to women in need. Health care providers have an important role in the provision of abortion services. However, the shortage of health care providers in low-income countries is critical and exacerbated by the unwillingness of some health care providers to provide abortion services. The aim of this study was to identify, summarise and synthesise available research addressing health care providers' perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

methodsA systematic literature search of three databases was conducted in November 2014, as well as a manual search of reference lists. The selection criteria included quantitative and qualitative research studies written in English, regardless of the year of publication, exploring health care providers' perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The quality of all articles that met the inclusion criteria was assessed. The studies were critically appraised, and thematic analysis was used to synthesise the data.

resultsThirty-six studies, published during 1977 and 2014, including data from 15 different countries, met the inclusion criteria. Nine key themes were identified as influencing the health care providers' attitudes towards induced abortions: 1) human rights, 2) gender, 3) religion, 4) access, 5) unpreparedness, 6) quality of life, 7) ambivalence 8) quality of care and 9) stigma and victimisation.

conclusionsHealth care providers in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia have moral-, social- and gender-based reservations about induced abortion. These reservations influence attitudes towards induced abortions and subsequently affect the relationship between the health care provider and the pregnant woman who wishes to have an abortion. A values clarification exercise among abortion care providers is needed.

Indexed as

Abortion, InducedAttitude of Health PersonnelAfrica South of the SaharaAsia, SoutheasternFemaleHealth PersonnelHumansPregnancyQualitative ResearchQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID25886459
PMCPMC4335425

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.