Recommendations for contraceptive self-injection: brief and program design guide

The DMPA-SC Access Collaborative has produced the brief and program design guide linked below to support countries and partners that are planning and rolling out DMPA-SC self-injection as part of an expanded range of contraceptive methods delivered through informed choice programming.

The Recommendations for Contraceptive Self-Injection brief summarizes the latest key findings, insights and recommendations the AC has accumulated through six years of technical assistance to ministries and partners engaged in self-injection program introduction and scale-up. These practices should be universally considered and implemented to increase family planning program success.

The Contraceptive Self-Injection Program Design Guide is a comprehensive tool that outlines optimal program models for DMPA-SC self-injection. It was originally developed in 2020 based on the self-injection program rollout in Uganda, the first country in sub-saharan Africa to offer contraceptive self-injection outside of a research setting. The guide has been updated in 2022 to reflect subsequent learnings, evidence, and data from scale-up efforts. The program design guide:

• Walks users through each step of a self-injection program, including all components related to health workers and clients.
• Highlights essential evidence on self-injection program design.
• Establishes areas where more research is needed.
• Draws attention to key moments for program design decision-making.
• Links users to additional resources and tools for program development.

Please contact FPoptions@path.org for further information or requests for assistance.