Australian and international models of care for postpartum contraception provision

Many pregnancies in the first year after a birth are unintended, and can place significant physical, social and financial strain on women and their families. Early access to contraception in the postpartum period can help to avoid a rapid repeat pregnancy. In Australia, postpartum contraception can potentially be accessed in several ways, however there is a lack of consistent and cohesive guidance for maternal postpartum community care and no postpartum contraception clinical guidelines. Through a literature review and key informant interviews, this project will identify and document existing programs and models of care for provision of postpartum contraception in Australia and internationally, to inform consideration of how these might be implemented or refined in the Australian context. This project sits within a program of research being undertaken by Professor Mazza in SPHERE, a NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care. This is the first dedicated Centre to lead research that is aimed at improving the quality, safety, and capacity of primary health care services to achieve better outcomes in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Students working under SPHERE will be supported by Professor Mazza's research team, which consists of Post Docs, PhD students, academic registrars and honours students. They will also have the opportunity to be part of a large, multidisciplinary, collaborative team of investigators, which includes prominent national and international researchers and experts working in women’s health, general practice, pharmacy, nursing, epidemiology, knowledge translation, health economics, and policy development.