An Assessment of Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECP) in Nepal 2018

The overall objective of this study was to better understand the usage patterns of Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECP) in the context of rapidly increasing usage in Nepal. The study was designed to take stock of the emerging role of ECP in increasing reproductive choice, averting unintended and unwanted pregnancy, and reducing the need for abortion in Nepal (the main attributes associated with ECP). The basic underlying strategies utilized in this study were to synthesize what is known regarding ECP in Nepal and to assess and inform, based on multiple perspectives, emerging policy, and programmatic issues. The questions include issues concerning ECP availability, ECP usage, knowledge, practices, perception, influencers, usage patterns of ECP, policy and stakeholders' opinion and views of ECP, and the relationship between the usage of ECP and Modern Method Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (MCPR). This was a mixed method study. Stakeholders data was mostly qualitative whereas pharmacy, user, and buyer data was predominantly quantitative with few unstructured questions. The study was done in 11 districts of Nepal and a total of 305 ECP users, 306 ECP buyers, 122 pharmacies and 56 stakeholders were interviewed. Interviews were carried out face-to-face with data collected on paper questionnaire among pharmacies, buyers, or users of ECP visiting the pharmacies, and users referred by the buyers of ECP. The answers were based on self-reported response. The survey was conducted in 3rd week of June 2018 and completed on 3rd week of August (2 months) and the study is conducted by CAMRIS International. A consultation meeting with pharmacies and their district level chapter association was carried out followed by collaboration with the ECP pharmacies. Based on the sample frame (buyer/user list) visiting the pharmacies to buy the ECP, buyers and users were selected and interviewed after taking consent.