Best Practice Centers
Transforming sexual and reproductive health care
The Centers of Best Practices (CBP) are designed to:
Train
Strengthen
Promote
“Through PBCs, we seek to close the gap in access to health services, ensuring that every person receives dignified, quality care.”
The implementation of Good Practice Centers is an effective strategy to guarantee access to quality reproductive health services in the region. In addition to offering high-quality safe abortion and contraceptive services, these centers serve as reference sites for teaching and training professionals in multidisciplinary teams. PBCs provide comprehensive abortion and contraceptive services without barriers, free of discrimination and based on human rights, thus contributing to the reduction of morbidity and mortality related to unsafe abortion in the region.
Ipas LAC currently supports 45 best practice centers (BPCs) in the region:
How do we do it?
The Centers for Best Practices in Comprehensive Abortion Care (IAC) / Post Abortion Care (PAC) and Contraception, or CBP, are institutions that offer professional training to hospitals and health centers, with the aim of strengthening the model of comprehensive abortion care. These centers contribute to the updating of health professionals and multidisciplinary teams (psychologists, nurses, obstetricians, social workers), and ensure respect for the rights and autonomy of women and pregnant women, complying with national and international standards of quality in health services.
Identification and Selection
- Initial Assessment: Ipas LAC works with health authorities to identify hospitals or health centers with the potential to become PBCs. These should already offer abortion and contraceptive services but require improvements in their infrastructure, processes, or staff training.
- Selection Criteria: Institutions are selected based on their willingness to improve and their ability to scale good practices.
Implementation and Training
- Action Plan: A detailed plan is developed to strengthen staff capacity and improve the quality of service, focused on meeting 37 indicators that measure aspects such as infrastructure, supplies, and teaching capacity.
- Ongoing Training: Staff receive training in techniques such as Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA), the use of abortion drugs, and the placement of long-acting contraceptives. These trainings ensure that professionals are up to date with best practices.
- Sensitization and Counseling: Sensitization programs are carried out to reduce stigma and improve the clients’ experience, offering counseling on sexual and reproductive health.
- Donation of equipment and supplies: We provide didactic training models, equipment and supplies for their learning rooms, thus ensuring that professionals in capacity building processes have what they need to carry out their practices.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Quarterly Evaluations: Every three months, the PBCs are evaluated to measure their progress in meeting sustainability and quality indicators. This process identifies areas for improvement and ensures that standards are maintained.
- Indicator Compliance: PBCs are working towards the goal of 100% compliance with 37 indicators. These are grouped into seven key components including infrastructure, inputs, trained personnel, supervision, provision of quality services, and training resources.
4. Graduation and Sustainability
- Independence: Once a center achieves the expected standards, it is graduated as a PBC, acquiring the responsibility to maintain and replicate these practices without ongoing support from Ipas LAC. This includes autonomous resource management, ongoing staff training, and sustained service provision.
- Knowledge Expansion: Graduating PBCs serve as model centers, training other professionals and contributing to the expansion of high-quality services in their region.
With more than 45 PBCs established in the region, we have strengthened reproductive health care, benefiting thousands of people and creating a replicable and sustainable model!