The document is an introduction to a decision-making tool for family planning clients and providers. It describes the tool's layout, with tabs on the side to help clients choose and address different needs, and tabs at the bottom providing information on specific methods. It outlines principles of client-centered counseling and discusses how to use the tool with different client types, with the goal of helping clients choose and correctly use the family planning method best suited to their needs and situation.

3. Decision-Making Tool for Family Planning Clients and Providers Acknowledgements: This tool is a collaborative effort of the World Health Organization’s Department of Reproductive Health and Research and the INFO Project at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs. The tool has been developed by Sarah Johnson, Ward Rinehart and Kathryn Church. Sharon Rudy also helped develop the concept and initial drafts. Special thanks go to Kathryn Curtis, Carlos Huezo, Herbert Peterson, Annie Portela, James Shelton, Jennifer Smith and Paul Van Look for their support and contribution to this work. We would like to thank Young Mi Kim of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/ Center for Communication Programs for her work in fieldtesting the tool , along with the following individuals and organizations: Ilka Maria Rondinelli of the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region, and its Member Association of Trinidad and Tobago; Antonietta Martin of the Population Council and Frontiers in Reproductive Health, Mexico; Jenni Smit of the Reproductive Health Research Unit of the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Dian Rosdiana of the Johns Hopkins University STARH Programme, Indonesia; and Michelle Heerey and Adrienne Kols of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/ Center for Communication Programs. We would also like to thank the family planning providers in Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago who participated in the fieldtesting. We also gratefully acknowledge Rafael Avila and Stephen Goldstein of the INFO Project for their help in production of this tool. We would like to thank the following experts at WHO for their review and comments: Nathalie Broutet, Catherine d'Arcangues, Timothy Farley, Catherine Hamill, Rita Kabra, Svetlin Kolev, Ornella Lincetto, Justin Mandala, Adriane Martin-Hilber, Francis Ndowa, and Jelka Zupan (Department of Reproductive Health and Research); Adepeju Olukoya and Claudia Garcia-Moreno (Department of Gender, Women and Health); Tin-Tin Sint (Department of HIV/AIDS); Peter Weis (Family and Community Health Cluster); Yvan Hutin and Dina Pfeifer (Department of Immunizations, Vaccines and Biologicals). The tool is also based on expert advice from many international organizations in the field of family planning. We would like to thank the following interagency groups for their expert reviews and guidance: the Client-Provider Interaction Subcommittee of the USAID MAQ Initiative, and the Expert Working Group to develop Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use. In addition, we would like to thank the following individuals for their crucial early input: Marcos Arevalo, Jeannette Cachan, Moshira El-Shafei, Pape Gaye, Mihai Horga, Federico Leon, Shalini Shah, and Theresa Velasco. Illustrations by Rita Meyer at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs. Additional illustrations by Greg Dayman of Prographics, Inc.; by the Reproductive Health Research Unit, Johannesburg, South Africa (images from page AP5 adapted from the Reproductive Health Flipchart); and by the Institute of Reproductive Health, Georgetown University (pages FA3 and FA4). Support for this project was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) (through the INFO Project from Global, GH/PRH/PEC, under the terms of Grant No. GPH-A-00-02-00003-00), and by the governments of Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. This tool constitutes one of the Four Cornerstones of WHO's evidence-based guidance in family planning. The technical content of this tool was developed using international evidence-based family planning guidance, including Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (WHO, Third Edition, 2004), Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (WHO, Second Edition, 2005), and The Essentials of Contraceptive Technology (JHU/CCP 2003).

7. How to use the provider's pages The other side of this page is the client’s first page. Please flip to next page for Welcome Icon: Reminder of good counselling practice. Provider’s information (blue boxes): Suggested questions, phrases, actions, information for reference and study ahead. “ Suggested words you might use.”  Look here for your next move based on client’s statements.  Glance here for reminder of main point to address now.  Glance here. Discuss these points with client as needed. The blue boxes on the right have more information and suggestions. Picture of decision-making client: This picture reminds you that the client needs to make a decision or say what she/he prefers before moving on. Page numbering: All tabbed sections are numbered separately, with a letter or letters to indicate the section. For example P3 is Pill section, page 3. iv Shows which method section you are in. 