Improving vasectomy services in Kenya: Lessons from a mystery client study

Much has been done to improve quality of care for women seeking family planning services,1 but less is known about quality of care for men in those services. With this in mind, researchers in Kenya designed a mystery clientstudy, in which men posed as potential vasectomy clients at clinics in different parts of the country. There was wide variation in how men were treated. Positive experiences included a courteous reception, full information on vasectomy, and private, sympathetic counselling that included discussion of other contraceptive methods. Negative experiences included ridicule, inadequate information, discomfort in describing the male body and bias against vasectomy. Real-life stories by men were found to have a positive effect on service providers and male clients; many improvements in the quality of service delivery for men are recommended.