Integrating family planning with reproductive health services: A multi-case study protocol.

Background: Critical gaps exist in the provision of family planning services in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), hindering access. Integrating family planning services with existing health services offers a promising solution to enhance its accessibility. This multi-case study aims to analyse initiatives and develop a framework applicable to diverse resource-limited settings. The objectives of this study are to analyse national documents on FP services integration with other reproductive health service, identify enablers and barriers among different integration examples, and to compare among FP integration initiatives from selected countries. For this paper, cases are defined as specific interventions where family planning services have been integrated into existing reproductive health services at healthcare facilities of LMICs.

Methods: This study will employ national document analysis and qualitative inquiry. The national documents consisting of policies, guidelines, strategic plans and health services packages of selected countries will be analysed. The qualitative data will be collected through 20-25 semi-structured virtual interviews with key stakeholders. These key informants will be healthcare providers, researchers, policy makers and health managers. The data analysis will use both deductive and inductive approaches, applying the six key dimensions of clinical, professional, organisational, system, functional, and normative integration of the Rainbow Model.

Conclusions: This paper will identify the process of integrating FP services, a structured, adaptable approach for integrating family planning services with other reproductive health services in low resource settings and addressing health system gaps in family planning service delivery.