“…the availability of contraceptives is everywhere.”: coordinated and integrated public family planning service delivery in Rwanda

Background: Contraceptive use in Rwanda tripled since 2005. This study aims to understand the role of coordinated and integrated public family planning service delivery in achieving this increase in contraceptive use in Rwanda. Methods: This qualitative study in 2018 included eight focus group discussions with family planning providers and 32 in-depth interviews with experienced family planning users. Results: Results indicate a well-coordinated public family planning service delivery system with community health workers and nurses filling different and complementary roles in meeting family planning client needs at the local level. In addition, integration of family planning into other maternal and child health services is the norm. Conclusions: The coordination and integration of family planning across both providers and services may help explain the rapid increase in Rwanda’s contraceptive use and has potential applications for enhancing family planning service delivery in other settings.