World's Leading Health Organizations Release Third Edition of Widely Used Resource on Family Planning

Global Handbook Gives Health-Care Providers Accurate and Practical Guidance for Counseling Clients

NEW DELHI, Feb. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Family planning is considered a development "best buy" and a life-saving intervention for millions of women and girls. Crucial to the success of family planning efforts worldwide is a well-educated and trained health workforce. In support of the global family planning workforce, a new edition of Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers, commonly known as the Global Handbook, will be released on February 15 in New Delhi, India, at the 2018 Regional Consortium Meeting of the Implementing Best Practices (IBP) Initiative.

Written in plain terms and organized for quick review, the Global Handbook has served as the world's standard reference on family planning methods and related topics since its first publication in 2006. To date, more than 500,000 copies have been distributed in 13 languages. This will be the third edition published jointly by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project. The Global Handbook is endorsed by more than 125 organizations worldwide, many of them members of the IBP Initiative.

"The Global Handbook confirms that all women, including adolescent girls and young women, can safely use almost any contraceptive method," says Dr. Ian Askew, Director of WHO's Department of Reproductive Health and Research. "Providing most contraceptive methods is typically not complicated and can be done in a way that respects the dignity and autonomy of every client."

The new edition includes information about available and new methods, including the LNG-IUD and implants, long-acting reversible methods; subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC), with the potential for self-injection; and the new progesterone-releasing vaginal ring for breastfeeding women. Other updates include:

• New recommendations from WHO, including guidance on topics such as intimate partner violence, task sharing, and serving clients with disabilities.
• A new section on how family planning providers should respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights of their clients.
• New job aids on whether to use the pregnancy checklist or a pregnancy test and on counseling women who want progestin-only injectables where HIV risk is high.

"With the information included in the Global Handbook and the right resources, providers can ensure that a client's reproductive intentions, life situation, and preferences govern their family planning decisions," said Ellen Starbird, Director of USAID's Office of Population and Reproductive Health.

The third edition of the Global Handbook is available in English and will soon be translated into French and Spanish. All printed copies are distributed with a free copy of "Do You Know Your Family Planning Choices?," a wall chart summarizing each contraceptive method, which providers can display for clients. A redesigned Global Handbook website, www.fphandbook.org, is also being launched today.

To download the Global Handbook or to order printed copies, please visit www.fphandbook.org. 

About the Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project
K4Health shares accurate, up-to-date knowledge and tools to strengthen family planning and reproductive health efforts worldwide. K4Health is supported by U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, under Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-13-00068 with the Johns Hopkins University. The project is led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs in collaboration with FHI 360, IntraHealth International, and Management Sciences for Health.

Contact: Anne Kott (anne.kott@jhu.edu)
The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) Project