{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T18:10:34Z","timestamp":1774980634455,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774915200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":89,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["bmjph"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a fundamental aspect of overall well-being, shaped not only by sociocultural and institutional barriers faced by patients, but also by healthcare providers\u2019 information-seeking behaviours, attitudes and clinical practices. Evidence examining these provider-level determinants remains limited in low- and middle-income settings. This study aimed to assess healthcare providers\u2019 knowledge, attitudes and practices related to SRH and to identify key obstacles and opportunities for improving service delivery.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2023 to March 2024 across tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Healthcare providers completed a structured, self-administered questionnaire capturing sociodemographic information, SRH-related knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers to care. Descriptive statistics and Pearson\u2019s \u03c7\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      tests were used to assess associations between categorical variables. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with positive SRH-related knowledge-seeking behaviours, attitudes and practices.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Among 319 participants, 59.6% reported counselling patients on SRH, though only 38.2% had attended relevant workshops. Fear of stigmatisation (60.8%), religious beliefs (48.6%) and lack of knowledge (47.3%) were reported as major barriers to SRH access. While participants generally expressed progressive attitudes, such as support for comprehensive sex education (86.5%) and youth access to contraception (75.6%), engagement in related practices remained limited. Positive SRH attitudes were significantly associated with employment in private institutions (OR 3.93, 95%\u2009CI 1.18 to 13.14), higher confidence in personal SRH knowledge (OR 1.97, 95%\u2009CI 1.08 to 3.58), and ease in discussing SRH with male guardians (OR 2.20, 95%\u2009CI 1.22 to 3.97).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Despite encouraging attitudes among healthcare providers, substantial gaps in SRH education and proactive engagement persist. Addressing these deficiencies through structured training programmes, supportive institutional environments and policy-level reforms is essential to advancing SRH equity and quality in Pakistan.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjph-2025-003905","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T17:35:27Z","timestamp":1774978527000},"page":"e003905","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Information-seeking behaviours, attitudes and practices on sexual and reproductive health among healthcare providers in Pakistan"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9765-8620","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Faiza","family":"Qureshi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0407-4213","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shahzil Abdur Rehman","family":"Malik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Asad Saulat","family":"Fatimi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Abbas","family":"Raza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Syeda Kainaat","family":"Fatima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sajjan","family":"Raja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adam Khan","family":"Mohmand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mahnoor","family":"Sarfraz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Akmal","family":"Shahzad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abdul Rahim","family":"Farooq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maha Muzzamil","family":"Chaipiwala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rohaid","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nimarta","family":"Heman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sangeen","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Aga Khan University Medical College Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8174-1625","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Asaad Ahmed","family":"Nafees","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026033110352092000_4.1.e003905.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2642","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(18)30293-9","article-title":"Accelerate progress\u2014sexual and reproductive health and rights for all: report of the Guttmacher\u2013 Lancet Commission","volume":"391","author":"Starrs","year":"2018","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"key":"2026033110352092000_4.1.e003905.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1080\/16549716.2020.1829827","article-title":"Predictors of health care practitioners\u2019 normative attitudes and practices 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