Knowledge and use of emergency contraception by medical doctors on internship in a tertiary healthcare facility in Nigeria

Emergency contraception (EC) is widely used to prevent unwanted pregnancy and it is largely adopted in many countries as over the counter drug to improve access. To determine and compare the correct knowledge, attitude and current use of EC among newly graduated medical doctors (MDs). A cross-sectional study conducted among 255 newly graduated MDs at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from consenting participants. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were performed, and statistical significance was set at 0.05. Statistical Package for Social Science version 15.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) software was used. The mean age of the respondents was 27.2 years (standard deviation = 2.1). The commonest indication for emergency contraceptive use mentioned was rape-96.5%. About 70% support EC in Nigeria, while about a quarter (26.9%) routinely counsel women about ECP use. About 21% of respondents currently use EC. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant results for gender [odds ratio (OR) =3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) OR = 1.31-10.01), religion (OR = 0.26; 95% CI OR = 0.11-0.630) and marital status (OR = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.07-0.56). The correct knowledge and professional disposition toward EC as a form of contraception is low. We recommend that in-service training should focus more on EC to improve the quality of their knowledge and attitude towards it.