What are Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Models of Intrauterine Device Care?

Nurse Practitioners have a key role in meeting the needs of women’s reproductive care including pregnancy, termination, contraception, and sexual health. They have expertise in patient diagnosis and treatment their role aims to improve access to services for at-risk populations, and, rural and remote communities. This includes the provision of efficacious forms of contraception such as intrauterine devices (IUDs). In practice, there are barriers to the provision of sexual and reproductive health services, and little is known about how IUD models are implemented. Through a literature review and interviews with Nurse Practitioners, this research seeks to understand how Nurse Practitioners implement IUD models of care in the primary healthcare setting. This project sits within SPHERE, an NHMRC funded Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care. SPHERE is led by Professor Danielle Mazza and supported by multidisciplinary students and researchers in the Department of General Practice. The successful candidate will have opportunity to be part of this team with support from supervisors.