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In Rwanda, many abortion services are not currently providing trauma-informed abortion care (TIAC) due to laws that restrict service provision and the incorporation of potentially traumatizing procedures with little attention to the woman's experience and support needs. Midwives working in abortion services often lack adequate training to effectively support clients with trauma. The authors aim to evaluate midwives' knowledge, attitudes, practices, and experiences toward TIAC. A mixed-method design was used. In quantitative, all midwives were invited to participate. In qualitative, purposive sampling was applied, and four focus group discussions with eight participants each were conducted. Of the 167 midwives who participated in this study, 86.2% demonstrated sufficient knowledge of TIAC, 83.8% had thorough experience of TIAC, and 62.3% reported a negative attitude toward TIAC. Respondents with an advanced diploma were more likely to have satisfactory knowledge than those with a bachelor's degree, and the workplace institution influenced TIAC practice. Males had a more positive attitude compared to their female counterparts. Moreover, respondents with more knowledge of and positive attitudes toward TIAC were significantly more likely to have good practice. Four themes were identified: a) conceptualization and practice of TIAC; b) TIAC as an essential practice in quality care; c) physical environment as a hindrance of TIAC; and d) dynamics of caring leading to secondary trauma. Providing TIAC training to midwives is essential for shifting negative attitudes. Hospitals need to enhance their infrastructure and offer resources to address the challenges of abortion services, including mitigating secondary trauma among healthcare workers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Addressing the gap between research and practice is crucial for enhancing reproductive healthcare outcomes. In Rwanda and other low- and middle-income countries, bolstering health researchers' implementation science (IS) capacity is essential. We present a pre-post-intervention study assessing the influence of an intensive IS training program on Rwandan reproductive health researchers' perceived IS knowledge and self-efficacy in applying IS in their own research., Methods: To introduce IS principles, we held a one-day training for a diverse cohort of 25 sexual and reproductive health researchers in Rwanda. The training encompassed modules on IS concepts, methodologies, and practical applications. Pre- and post-training assessments gauged changes in participants' perceived IS knowledge and self-efficacy in applying IS in their own work., Results: The study revealed a significant improvement in self-efficacy related to performing IS related tasks. Researchers reported heightened confidence in designing and implementing evidence-based interventions. In terms of perceived knowledge, participants retained what they learned at 4 months. The training fostered a collaborative learning environment, encouraging participants to exchange ideas and experiences., Conclusion: Targeted training in IS appears to enhance reproductive health researchers' capacity to translate research into practice, potentially leading to improved healthcare outcomes in Rwanda. Moving forward, we advocate for the Ministry of Health to establish structures for IS research agenda-setting, particularly for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Ideally, universities, health systems, and research institutions will incorporate IS capacity strengthening into their routine activities. Ongoing training is crucial to reinforce and expand IS knowledge. Our findings are expected to inform future interventions and guide policy development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Adolescents in low-middle-income countries often face limited access to health information and services due to several different factors. Ineffective communication between healthcare providers and adolescents is among them. This study aims to assess adolescents' perspectives regarding their communication with reproductive health service providers in Rwanda., Methods: A phenomenological exploratory qualitative study was used. Eleven focus group discussions were conducted among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years between December 2020 and January 2021. All participants were identified through their respective health care providers in youth-friendly centres available in the Kigali district representing the urban area and Kamonyi district representing the rural area. All interviews were transcribed and translated into English and analysed by using thematic content analysis., Results: Poor communication between healthcare providers and adolescents was identified and attributed to the judgmental attitudes of some healthcare providers, while good communication was cited by many adolescents as an important key of access to services. All adolescents were eager to access reproductive health services and be educated about reproductive health issues., Conclusion: Effective communication is essential when it comes to providing reproductive health services, as this establishes a strong relationship between a service provider and an adolescent who wants to talk about their concerns, while poor communication prevents adolescents from asking questions about unknown topics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Research efforts in Rwanda to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are increasing; however, comprehensive literature reviews on SRHR are limited. This scoping review examines individual and contextual factors shaping knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the domains of: 1) family planning, 2) abortion care, and 3) other SRHR in Rwanda. Recognizing that individual, community, and societal factors influence RH, this review is guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory., Methods: Eligible studies were conducted in Rwanda, included males and/or females of any age, and were published within the past 20 years. Studies reporting views of only healthcare or other professionals were excluded., Results: Thirty-six studies were included. The majority addressed individual and contextual considerations. At the individual level, studies explored knowledge about SRHR problems while at the interpersonal level, the support and attitudes of men and community members for adolescent SRHR were investigated. In terms of healthcare organization, maternal health practices, increased access to family planning programs, and the need for sexually transmitted infection programs was explored. At the social and cultural level, researchers investigated beliefs and traditional gender roles. Regarding public health policy, studies mentioned promoting and increasing funding for SRHR and reducing gender inequities., Conclusion: Our findings can inform SRHR research programs, public health campaigns, and policy advances in Rwanda., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Buser et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)