London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The overall module aim is to impart an understanding of the structure and functions of family planning programmes in both high and low and middle-income countries and to develop students' capacity to evaluate such programmes. Students will explore the design and quality of family planning programmes, as well as their health and demographic impacts.

Intended learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the module, a student will be able to: 

• Demonstrate the diverse ways in which family planning programmes have been promoted in high and low- and middle-income countries 
• Analyse how the variation in approach to the promotion of family planning reflects policy priorities and socio-economic setting 
• Evaluate what is needed from the health system to implement family planning programmes 
• Assess the family planning needs of specific populations (e.g. people living with HIV, young people, postpartum women, refugees and displaced populations) 
• Explain how restrictions on safe abortion affect health and how abortion service programmes can interplay with family planning programmes 
• Understand how to analyse the design, quality, health effects and demographic impact of family planning programmes

Session Content

The module is expected to cover the following topics: 

Organisation of family planning programmes 

• How society and family planning programmes shape and influence each other 
• Origins, policy objectives and development of family planning programmes, including the political nature of FP programme funding and current players of FP programming 
• Contraceptive methods, their safety and effectiveness, and implications for programmes 
• Comparison of different service delivery systems including community-based distribution, static clinics and mobile outreach, and implications for client coverage, costs, logistics and staff requirements 
• Innovations in family planning service delivery 
• Health systems and family planning including integration of services, scaling up and role of providers 
• Best practices in programme implementation and scale-up 

The needs of specific populations 

• Design and implementation of abortion services, and their integration with family planning services 
• The family planning needs of people living with HIV, young people, postpartum women, refugees and displaced populations 
• Relationship of family planning to broader reproductive health concerns 
• The UK’s family planning programme and teen pregnancy strategy 

Evaluation 

• Contribution of family planning and abortion to maternal and child health 
• Monitoring and evaluation of the family planning programme processes and outcomes 
• Assessment of quality of care 
• Impact of family planning programmes

Mode of delivery

This module is delivered predominantly face-to-face. Where specific teaching methods (lectures, seminars, discussion groups) are noted in this module specification these will be delivered by predominantly face-to-face sessions. There will be a combination of live and interactive activities (synchronous learning) as well as self-directed study (asynchronous learning).

The teaching and learning strategy is primarily based on self-directed reading, lectures and discussions on a range of family planning programme topics. Some sessions include group work, enabling students to consolidate their learning through practical application of what they have learned through interaction with their peers. In addition to pre-readings required for some sessions, the module handbook includes a recommended reading list. Students are also given some free time where they can work on their assessment alongside the module as they are learning.

Assessment

The assessment for this module has been designed to measure student learning against the module's intended learning outcomes (ILOs) as listed above. The grade for this summative assessment will go towards the overall award GPA. 

The assessment for this module will be online. 

The assessment consists of a 2500-word report for the Ministry of Health of a specified country (details given during the module). The report will consist of 1) a situation analysis, 2) recommendations for addressing unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion and 3) a monitoring and evaluation plan. 

Students will be provided with a suggested outline of what topics to include in each section, which maps to this module’s intended learning outcomes.

Credits

• CATS: 15
• ECTS: 7.5

Module specification

For full information regarding this module please see the module specification.