What Is the Impact of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) on Family Planning Providers’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Behaviors? A Randomized Experiment in Jordan

Marianne El-Khoury, Abt Associates
Rebecca L. Thornton, University of Michigan
Minki Chatterji, Abt Associates
Nadia Al-Alawi, Abt Associates
Shirin Al-Adwan, Abt Associates
Soonie Choi, Abt Associates

The “Evidence-Based Medicine” (EBM) methodology uses “critically appraised topics” as the primary tool to convey evidence from rigorous research studies to clinicians. In Jordan, although knowledge of family planning (FP) is almost universal, many providers have misconceptions towards FP methods, especially hormone-based contraceptives. We use a randomized control study design to evaluate the impact of an EBM program aimed at teaching private providers in Jordan evidence about depot medroxy progesterone (DMPA), the three-month injectable contraceptive. A total of 267 providers were randomly assigned to a treatment and a control group. A baseline and a follow-up survey were administered to both. We analyze the effects of the EBM program on a variety of outcome variables such as correct knowledge about DMPA, willingness to prescribe, and number of times prescribed or discussed in the last month. Addressing supply side constraints such as unfounded misconceptions among providers will help improve the quality of service delivery and reduce unmet need.