ReviewInternational journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics2026
Impact of female genital mutilation laws, policies, and professional codes of conduct on healthcare workers' knowledge, attitudes, skills, and quality of care: A mixed-method review.
Review in International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Impact of female genital mutilation laws, policies, and professional codes of conduct on healthcare workers' knowledge, attitudes, skills, and quality of care: A mixed-method review.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOver 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), primarily in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Although many countries have laws prohibiting FGM, enforcement remains a challenge. Efforts to eliminate FGM require a multifaceted approach, including policy implementation, community education, and training of healthcare workers (HCWs).
objectivesTo explore how laws, policies, and professional codes of conduct related to FGM prevention and care affect HCWs' knowledge, attitudes, skills, and care delivery. SEARCH STRATEGY: A comprehensive search of the following electronic database was conducted: CINAHL Plus, IRIS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. No language restrictions were applied in the literature search. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies involving HCWs' perspectives or experiences with FGM laws and policies were included. Titles and abstracts were screened using Covidence, full texts were assessed for eligibility, and disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: All included studies were assessed for quality using an adapted version of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. A thematic synthesis of the qualitative data was conducted, involving coding of the extracted data and performing thematic analysis. MAIN
resultsThis review of 12 qualitative studies, from 2010 database records, identified six key themes regarding HCWs' experiences with FGM laws. HCWs often had limited knowledge of FGM laws, which impeded attitude changes toward FGM practices. Although some providers avoided performing medicalized FGM due to legal repercussions, others continued supporting or referring patients, because of cultural norms, religious beliefs, financial incentives, and weak enforcement. In addition, providers expressed discomfort with mandatory reporting and concerns about compromising patient trust. In some contexts, FGM laws were seen as contributing to health inequities by restricting culturally significant procedures while allowing similar or more invasive ones for others. The findings also revealed the emergence of modified FGM forms and significant gaps in providers' knowledge and communication skills when explaining legal prohibitions to affected girls and women.
conclusionsThis review found no eligible quantitative studies. Qualitative findings reveal legal awareness alone does not change behavior. Therefore, comprehensive training, guidance on professional ethics, and stronger enforcement are needed to support HCWs in FGM prevention and response.
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Registered trials
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.