Introduction to PAC Research

As countries initiate or scale up postabortion care programs, it is critical that interventions be evidence-based. The PAC research compendium entitled What Works: A Policy and Program Guide to the Evidence on Postabortion Care functions as the foundation for building solid evidence-based programs. When compiling the research compendium, more than 400 documents from 1994 through 2004 were reviewed and evaluated against Gray’s Level of Evidence to determine the strength of the evidence. Gray (1997) lists the five strengths of evidence in research as noted in the accompanying table. A summary listing of evidence-based postabortion care practices that were found to be “Strong Evidence” when compared to the Gray Level of Evidence is available. These key practices should be considered for integration into your postabortion care program. A listing of pertinent research findings is also found on each assessment tool for Policy, Service Delivery Guidelines, and Training to assist in the review of the research and the inclusion of evidence-based practices when writing or revising these documents.