Could community pharmacies help to improve youth health? Service availability and views of pharmacy personnel in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the availability of youth-relevant community pharmacy services in New Zealand (NZ), and the opinions of pharmacy personnel on the appropriateness of these services for young people aged 12-24. METHODS: Pharmacist and pharmacy support staff (PSS) questionnaires were developed collaboratively with a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and were mailed to 500 randomly selected community pharmacies in NZ. RESULTS: Response rates for questionnaires were 50.5 % for pharmacists and 37.0 % for PSS. The majority of community pharmacies in NZ offer public health services relevant to youth health including emergency contraception, condoms, smoking cessation, weight management and harm reduction services for drug use. Not all pharmacy personnel believed these services are appropriate for youth, particularly for those aged 16 or under. PSS appeared less likely than pharmacists to feel services were appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Community pharmacies are offering an increasing range of youth-relevant health services, and may, therefore, be able to improve youth healthcare access. More research is required to investigate the barriers to young people accessing services from pharmacies, and also the challenges for pharmacy personnel in providing services to this age group.

Filling the gaps: opportunities for community pharmacies to help increase healthcare access for young people in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether there is potential for community pharmacies to help increase healthcare access and address unmet health needs of young people in New Zealand. METHODS: A descriptive secondary analysis of the Youth'07 health and wellbeing survey data was undertaken alongside discussion meetings with a youth advisory group. KEY FINDINGS: Seventeen per cent (n = 1485) of all students had been unable to access care when required in the previous 12 months. Of these students, 86.0% cited barriers to accessing health care that are unlikely to be barriers in a community pharmacy setting (e.g. not being able to get an appointment). Thirty per cent (n = 2475) of students had experienced difficulty accessing health care in the past 12 months for various health issues, with over half of these (n = 1326) citing a health issue for which community pharmacies could provide services (e.g. minor health issues, smoking cessation). CONCLUSIONS: Although young people are generally considered to be fit and healthy, many have health needs that are currently unmet by traditional health services. Community pharmacies offer services that are relevant to youth health and are readily accessible to young people, indicating potential to help address unmet health needs and improve healthcare access. Further research is needed to explore how community pharmacy models of care might be provided in an appropriate and acceptable manner for youth.