How has contraceptive provision at Family Planning clinics in Aotearoa New Zealand changed between 2009, 2014 and 2019: a cross-sectional analysis | OPEN ACCESS
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Advances in contraception are recognised as one of the great public health achievements of the twentieth century.[[1]] But despite its importance, there has been little research in New Zealand about contraceptive use. In 2019, the Ministry of Health published the first national report on contraceptive use since 1999.[[2]] The 2019 report was based on data collected through the 2014/2015 annual New Zealand Health Survey. That data provide a snapshot of contraceptive use at one point in time but no information about changes over time. The Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Atlas on Healthcare Variation recently reported data[[3]] on contraceptive provision in 2018/2019. However, the data were incomplete because the report utilised only prescription data, which does not include all available contraceptive methods. Data about the type of contraception used and changes in contraceptive use over time are essential for informing funding and policy decisions, including service provision planning. This is because the type of contraceptive used impacts how services are provided.