Knowledge and use of emergency contraception by medical doctors on internship in a tertiary healthcare facility in Nigeria

Abstract

Context: Emergency contraception (EC) is widely used to prevent unwanted pregnancy and it is largely adopted in many countries as over the counter drug to improve access.
Aims: To determine and compare the correct knowledge, attitude and current use of EC among newly graduated medical doctors (MDs).
Settings and Design: A cross.sectional study conducted among 255 newly graduated MDs at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: A pretested self.administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from consenting participants.
Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were performed, and statistical significance was set at 0.05. Statistical Package for Social Science version 15.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) software was used.
Results: The mean age of the respondents was 27.2 years (standard deviation = 2.1). The commonest indication for emergency contraceptive use mentioned was rape.96.5%. About 70% support EC in Nigeria, while about a quarter (26.9%) routinely counsel women about ECP use. About 21% of respondents currently use EC. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant results for gender [odds ratio (OR) =3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) OR = 1.31.10.01), religion (OR = 0.26; 95% CI OR =  0.11.0.630) and marital status (OR = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.07.0.56). Conclusion: The correct knowledge and professional disposition toward EC as a form of contraception is low. We recommend that in.service training  should focus more on EC to improve the quality of their knowledge and  attitude towards it.

Key words: Emergency contraception, knowledge, Medical Doctor, Nigeria