Provider counseling and provision of female condom in South Africa and Zimbabwe

Objectives: Female condoms are the only female-initiated HIV and pregnancy prevention technology currently available. We examined female condom counseling and provision among providers in South Africa and Zimbabwe, high HIV-prevalence countries. Design: Cross-sectional study using a nationally-representative survey. Setting: All facilities that provide family planning or HIV/STI services in the two countries. Participants: National probability sample of 1,444 nurses and physicians who provide family planning or HIV/STI services. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Female condom practices with different female patients, including adolescents, married women, women using hormonal contraception, and by HIV status. Using multivariable logistic analysis, we measured variations in condom counseling by provider characteristics. Results: Most providers reported offering female condoms (88%), but perceived a need for novel female barrier methods for HIV/STI prevention (85%). By patient type, ...