Survival time to Implanon discontinuation and its predictors among a cohort of Implanon users who enrolled in public hospitals of southern Ethiopia, 2021: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Pieces of evidence strongly indicate that providing high-quality family planning services is accompanied by an increase in contraceptive uptake and a decrease in contraception discontinuation. Contraceptive, especially Implanon discontinuation is a global issue that could be linked to a summary outcome indicator of poor family planning service quality. Although Implanon is becoming more popular among Ethiopian contraceptive users, little is known regarding the survival and predictors of discontinuation. The study aimed at exploring the survival and predictors of Implanon discontinuation among women enrolled in family planning units of Public hospitals in southern Ethiopia, 2021. METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among Implanon users who enrolled in family planning units of Public Hospitals. Five years of medical records, from January 1, 2016, to December 30, 2020, were reviewed. A total of 502 women were selected by using a random sampling technique. A standardized abstraction tool was used to collect data from medical records and registration books. The data were entered into Epidata Version 3.1 and then exported to STATA 14 for analysis. The median was calculated in the case of survival time. Across covariates, the Kaplan Meier survival curve was used to estimate time to Implanon discontinuation. To identify statistically significant predictors of Implanon discontinuation, a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model was fitted. RESULTS: The incidence rate of Implanon discontinuation was 1.87(95% CI = 1.63, 2.15) per 100 person-months of observation. The overall estimated survival probability at the end of 24 and 36 months was 67.4% (95%CI, 62.5, 71.8) and 25.9% (95%CI, 18.4, 34.1) months respectively. Residence [AHR = 1.50; 95%CI: 1.09, 2.08], parity [AHR = 2.02; 95%CI: 1.65, 3.67], pre-insertion counselling [AHR = 2.41; 95%CI: 1.72, 3.70], experiencing heavy vaginal bleeding [AHR = 3.91; 95%CI: 2.67, 5.32], post-insertion follow up [AHR = 3.15; 95%CI:2.11, 4.75] were identified as a significant predictors of Implanon discontinuation. CONCLUSION: The risk Implanon of discontinuation was high, especially at 24 and 36 months. In family planning service delivery points, health care providers should pay special attention to clients who live in rural areas and do not have children. In addition, health care providers should provide pre-insertion counseling and post-insertion follow-up that focus on potential side effects. Finally, family planning units need to engage in early side effect management and reassurance to mitigate discontinuation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13690-022-00859-6.