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  • Why we need a validated tool for measuring knowledge and attitudes regarding long-acting reversible contraception and early medical abortion in women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

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Editorial
Why we need a validated tool for measuring knowledge and attitudes regarding long-acting reversible contraception and early medical abortion in women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  1. Melissa Tawiah,
  2. Danielle Mazza,
  3. Asvini K Subasinghe
  1. Department of General Practice, Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr. Melissa Tawiah, Department of General Practice, Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Notting Hill, VIC 3168, Australia; melissa.tawiah{at}gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsrh-2020-200956

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    Unplanned pregnancy remains highly prevalent in high-income nations. Approximately one in four women will experience an unplanned pregnancy and 30% of these pregnancies end in abortion with rates higher in some developed countries. Women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds may experience higher rates of unplanned pregnancies, compared with local women. This is due to a myriad of factors and barriers including poor uptake of long-acting reversible contraception/contraceptives (LARCs), though the data is limited. There is also limited data on the awareness of unintended pregnancy options such as early medical abortion (EMA). LARCs are globally accepted and recommended by international bodies and the World Health Organization (WHO) due to their high efficacy at reducing unintended pregnancies. EMA is a safe, non-invasive and alternative method to surgical abortion which can be undertaken in the first trimester of pregnancy. Developing a culturally sensitive, validated tool to measure knowledge and attitudes regarding LARCs and EMA can lead to the development of targeted interventions to reduce unintended pregnancy in women from CALD backgrounds. This editorial highlights the gap in the medical literature regarding a culturally sensitive, validated instrument for measuring knowledge and attitudes towards LARCs and EMA in women from CALD backgrounds. This gap was revealed by undertaking a rapid systematic review of the literature using four databases and a highly sensitive search filter to identify validated survey instruments. No viable tools were identified. Thus, the importance of a validated survey instrument is …

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @MelTawiah

    • Contributors AS conceived the idea for this article and MT drafted it. AS and DM provided expert input and contributed to drafting content.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.