"I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya.
<h4>Background and objectives</h4>In Kenya, where abortion is legally restricted, most abortions are induced using unsafe procedures, and lead to complications treated in public health facilities. The introduction of Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) to treat incomplete abortion has improve...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289689 |
| _version_ | 1797693880512020480 |
|---|---|
| author | Ramatou Ouedraogo Valleria Obure Grace Kimemia Anne Achieng Mercy Kadzo Jane Shirima Shilla Unda Dama Shelmith Wanjiru Jonna Both |
| author_facet | Ramatou Ouedraogo Valleria Obure Grace Kimemia Anne Achieng Mercy Kadzo Jane Shirima Shilla Unda Dama Shelmith Wanjiru Jonna Both |
| author_sort | Ramatou Ouedraogo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background and objectives</h4>In Kenya, where abortion is legally restricted, most abortions are induced using unsafe procedures, and lead to complications treated in public health facilities. The introduction of Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) to treat incomplete abortion has improved the management of abortion complications. However, this technology comes with pain whose management has been a challenge. This paper explores the lived experiences of pain (management) during MVA to document the contributing factors.<h4>Methods</h4>We used an ethnographic approach to explore girls and healthcare providers' experiences in offering and accessing post-abortion care in Kilifi County, Kenya. The data collection approach included participant observation and informal conversations in public health facilities and neighboring communities, as well as in-depth interviews with 21 girls and young women treated for abortion complication and 12 healthcare providers.<h4>Results</h4>Our findings show that almost all patients described the MVA as the most painful procedure they have ever experienced. The unbearable pain was explained by various factors, including the lack of preparedness of health facilities to offer PAC services (i.e. lack of pain medicine, lack of training, inadequate knowledge and grasp of pain medication guidelines, and malfunctioning MVA kits). Moreover, the attitudes of healthcare providers and facilities management toward the MVA device limited the supply and replacement of MVA kits. Moreover, the scarcity of pain medicines also gave some providers the opportunity to abuse patients guided by their values, whereby they would deny patients pain medication as a form of "punishment" if they were suspected of inducing their abortion, especially adolescent girls.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The study findings suggest the need for clearer guidelines on pain medication, value clarification and attitude transformation training for providers, systematizing the use of medical uterine evacuation using medical abortion drug and strengthening the supply chain of pain medication and MVA kits to reduce the pain and improve the quality of post-abortion care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T02:48:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-282060cc818e44b781d71488f24c2e1b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T02:48:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-282060cc818e44b781d71488f24c2e1b2023-09-04T05:31:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01188e028968910.1371/journal.pone.0289689"I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya.Ramatou OuedraogoValleria ObureGrace KimemiaAnne AchiengMercy KadzoJane ShirimaShilla Unda DamaShelmith WanjiruJonna Both<h4>Background and objectives</h4>In Kenya, where abortion is legally restricted, most abortions are induced using unsafe procedures, and lead to complications treated in public health facilities. The introduction of Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) to treat incomplete abortion has improved the management of abortion complications. However, this technology comes with pain whose management has been a challenge. This paper explores the lived experiences of pain (management) during MVA to document the contributing factors.<h4>Methods</h4>We used an ethnographic approach to explore girls and healthcare providers' experiences in offering and accessing post-abortion care in Kilifi County, Kenya. The data collection approach included participant observation and informal conversations in public health facilities and neighboring communities, as well as in-depth interviews with 21 girls and young women treated for abortion complication and 12 healthcare providers.<h4>Results</h4>Our findings show that almost all patients described the MVA as the most painful procedure they have ever experienced. The unbearable pain was explained by various factors, including the lack of preparedness of health facilities to offer PAC services (i.e. lack of pain medicine, lack of training, inadequate knowledge and grasp of pain medication guidelines, and malfunctioning MVA kits). Moreover, the attitudes of healthcare providers and facilities management toward the MVA device limited the supply and replacement of MVA kits. Moreover, the scarcity of pain medicines also gave some providers the opportunity to abuse patients guided by their values, whereby they would deny patients pain medication as a form of "punishment" if they were suspected of inducing their abortion, especially adolescent girls.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The study findings suggest the need for clearer guidelines on pain medication, value clarification and attitude transformation training for providers, systematizing the use of medical uterine evacuation using medical abortion drug and strengthening the supply chain of pain medication and MVA kits to reduce the pain and improve the quality of post-abortion care.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289689 |
| spellingShingle | Ramatou Ouedraogo Valleria Obure Grace Kimemia Anne Achieng Mercy Kadzo Jane Shirima Shilla Unda Dama Shelmith Wanjiru Jonna Both "I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya. PLoS ONE |
| title | "I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya. |
| title_full | "I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya. |
| title_fullStr | "I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya. |
| title_full_unstemmed | "I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya. |
| title_short | "I will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy": Lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post-abortion care in Kenya. |
| title_sort | i will never wish this pain to even my worst enemy lived experiences of pain associated with manual vacuum aspiration during post abortion care in kenya |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289689 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ramatououedraogo iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT valleriaobure iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT gracekimemia iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT anneachieng iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT mercykadzo iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT janeshirima iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT shillaundadama iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT shelmithwanjiru iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya AT jonnaboth iwillneverwishthispaintoevenmyworstenemylivedexperiencesofpainassociatedwithmanualvacuumaspirationduringpostabortioncareinkenya |