BACKGROUND: Use of emergency contraceptive methods, provides a second chance to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. AIM: The aim of the study was to assess nurses' knowledge and perception regarding emergency contraception. SETTING: The study was conducted at obstetrics and gynecology departments at both benha university hospital and benha educational hospital. DESIGN: A descriptive study design was utilized. SAMPLING: A convenient sample included 105 nurses. TOOLS: The tools of data collection were: structured self-administered questionnaire and modified likert scale. RESULTS: The present study revealed that 78.5% of studied nurses had poor knowledge regarding ECPs, 73.1% had poor knowledge regarding emergency contraceptive IUD, moreover, 59.1% had poor knowledge regarding efficiency of emergency contraception, 72% of them did not receive any training courses in the last two years, and 100% didn’t use EC. CONCLUSION: More than half of the studied nurses had poor knowledge regarding emergency contraceptive methods, nearly two-fifth of the studied nurses had negative attitude regarding emergency contraceptive methods. RECOMMENDATIONS: Implementation of training programs regarding emergency contraception and in-service training are recommended to improve nurses knowledge and perception regarding EC. |
