An assessment of the quality of advice provided by patent medicine vendors to users of oral contraceptive pills in urban Nigeria

Figures & data

Table 1 Descriptive information about the background characteristics of outlets and clients

Characteristics	%	Total (N)
Outlet characteristics
Enugu	21.5	88
Lagos	58.5	240
Kano	7.8	32
Plateau	12.2	50
Locality
Urban	94.0	375
Rural	6.0	24
Service personnel characteristics
Sex of the service personnel
Male	66.6	269
Female	33.4	135
Service personnel
PPMV owner	79.3	321
PPMV attendant	20.5	83
Nurse	0.2	1.0
Enacted scenario
New pill users (new to family planning or switching from condoms to pills)	44.9	184
Resupply	19.8	81
Dissatisfied pill users or wanting to switch from pills to another method	35.4	145
Language used during counseling
English	58.2	221
Yoruba	11.3	43
Ibo	26.3	100
Hausa	4.2	16
Formalities
None	82.6	338
Wait/queue	17.4	71
Client’s reception
Warmly received	91.0	373
Not warmly received	9.0	37
Total (%)	100.0	410

Abbreviation: PPMV, proprietary patent medicine vendor.

Table 2 Assessment of advice provided by PPMVs to different clients

	%	Total (N)
New pill users (N=184)
Prescribed or sold pills	40.8	75
Referred to higher level	30.4	56
Advised on what to do when they miss a pill	23.9	44
Asked if ever used any method of contraception	32.1	59
Possible side effects mentioned	15.2	28
Advised on how to manage side effects	7.6	14
Dissatisfied users wanting to switch method (N=145)
Advised or referred client to seek medical help	49.0	71
Change method of contraception with no further action PPMV prescribes treatment	79.3 9.7	115 14
Resupply (N=81)
Sold pills with no questions asked	60.5	49

Abbreviation: PPMV, proprietary patent medicine vendor.

Table 3 Assessment of advice provided to simulated new contraceptive pill users according to type of PPMV (based on Fisher’s exact test at 0.05 significance level)

	PPMV owner	PPMV attendant	P-value
New pill users (N=184)	(N=150)	(N=34)
Prescribed or sold pills	59 (39.3%)	16 (47.1%)	0.443
Referred to higher level	43 (28.7%)	13 (38.2%)	0.304
Advised on what to do when they miss a pill	36 (24.0%)	8 (23.5%)	0.575
Asked if ever used any method of contraception	50 (33.3%)	9 (26.5%)	0.288
Possible side effects mentioned	26 (17.3%)	2 (5.9%)	0.115
Advised on how to manage side effects	13 (8.7%)	1 (2.9%)	0.472
	Male	Female	P-value
New pill users (N=184)	(N=165)	(N=19)
Prescribed or sold pills	71 (43%)	4 (21.0%)	0.085
Referred to higher level	49 (30.8%)	7 (50.0%)	0.149
Advised on what to do when they miss a pill	44 (26.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0.008*
Asked if ever used any method of contraception	55 (33.3%)	4 (21.1%)	0.436
Possible side effects mentioned	28 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0.083
Advised on how to manage side effects	0 (0.0%)	14 (8.5%)	0.368
	English	Local languages	P-value
New pill users (N=169)	(N=108)	(N=61)
Prescribed or sold pills	53 (49.1%)	14 (23%)	0.001*
Referred to higher level	28 (28.3%)	24 (40%)	0.163
Advised on what to do when they miss a pill	31 (28.7%)	9 (14.8%)	0.059
Asked if ever used any method of contraception	35 (32.4%)	13 (21.3%)	0.156
Possible side effects mentioned	18 (16.7%)	5 (8.2%)	0.162
Advised on how to manage side effects	7 (6.5)	4 (6.6%)	1.000

Note:

* Significant at a=0.05.

Abbreviation: PPMV, proprietary patent medicine vendors.

Table 4 Assessment of advice provided to simulated dissatisfied users who wanted to switch method of contraception according to type of PPMV (based on Fisher’s exact test at 0.05 significance level)

	PPMV owner	PPMV attendant	P-value
Dissatisfied users wanting to switch method (N=145)	(N=116)	(N=29)
Advised or referred client to seek medical help	63 (54.3%)	8 (27.6%)	0.012*
Change method with no further action	16 (13.8%)	5 (17.2%)	0.768
PPMV prescribes treatment	9 (7.8%)	5 (17.2%)	0.156
Dissatisfied users wanting to switch method (N=145)	(N=56)	(N=89)
Advised or referred client to seek medical help	31 (55.4%)	40 (44.9%)	0.237
Change method with no further action	10 (17.9%)	11 (12.4%)	0.468
PPMV prescribes treatment	5 (8.9%)	9 (10.1%)	1.000
Dissatisfied users wanting to switch method (N=135)	(N=69)	(N=66)
Advised or referred client to seek medical help	39 (56.5%)	24 (36.4%)	0.025*
Change method with no further action	12 (17.4%)	9 (13.6%)	0.638
PPMV prescribes treatment	10 (14.5%)	4 (6.1%)	0.158

Note:

* Significant at a=0.05.

Abbreviation: PPMV, proprietary patent medicine vendors.

Table 5 Proportion of simulated clients who wanted resupply of pills and were sold pills without questions according to type of PPMV (based on Fisher’s exact test at 0.05 significance level)

	PPMV owner	PPMV attendant	P-value
Resupply (N=81)	(N=58)	(N=23)
Sold pills with no questions asked	12 (20.7%)	2 (8.7%)	0.329
	Male	Female	P-value
Resupply (N=81)	(N=55)	(N=26)
Sold pills with no questions asked	19 (34.5%)	18 (69.2%)	0.004*
	English	Local Languages	P-value
Resupply (N=76)	(N=44)	(N=32)
Sold pills with no questions asked	32 (72.7%)	1 (3.1%)	<0.0001*

Note:

* Significant at a=0.05.

Abbreviation: PPMV, proprietary patent medicine vendors.