Nurse provision of postpartum contraception information and support in general practice

Women are recommended to have a 6-8 postnatal check after having a baby, usually with their general practitioner (GP). Whilst there is an expectation that GPs will discuss contraception at this appointment, there are no consistent guidelines in relation to this in Australia and contraception counselling/provision does not commonly occur at that visit. General practice nurses may be well-placed to fill this gap and provide support and services in relation to postpartum contraceptive care. A qualitative study will be undertaken with general practice nurses to better understand whether and how they are currently contributing in this area; identify their training, resource and other needs; and determine opportunities to support them and optimise provision of postpartum contraceptive care in general practice. This project sits within a program of research being undertaken by Professor Mazza in SPHERE, a NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care. This is the first dedicated Centre to lead research that is aimed at improving the quality, safety, and capacity of primary health care services to achieve better outcomes in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Students working within SPHERE will be supported by Professor Mazza's research team, which consists of Post-docs, PhD students, academic registrars and Honours students. Students will be part of a large, multidisciplinary, collaborative team of investigators, which includes prominent national and international researchers and experts working in women’s health, general practice, pharmacy, nursing, epidemiology, knowledge translation, health economics, and policy development. For more information about this project, please feel free to contact Jessica Botfield to discuss further: jessica.botfield@monash.edu