The feasibility of contraceptive injections at the community pharmacy.
Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care
; 22(5): 327-333, 2017 Oct.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28849961
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
The progestogen-only intramuscular injectable Depo-Provera® (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate) is an effective contraceptive method, but users need to attend a clinic every 12-13 weeks for a repeat injection from a doctor/nurse. This limits convenience of the method and may affect continuation rates. We conducted a pilot study to examine the feasibility and acceptability of users receiving the subcutaneous form of the contraception injection from pharmacists in the community pharmacy setting. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
Existing users of Depo-Provera®, who wished to switch to the subcutaneous preparation with the same active ingredient (Sayana Press®) were invited to attend 1 of 11 community pharmacies for up to three repeat injections, given by a pharmacist. Evaluation consisted of (i) self-administered questionnaires of women and (ii) interviews with participating pharmacists, at study exit on their respective experiences.RESULTS:
Global unavailability of the product during the study adversely affected recruitment and retention. 50 women were recruited. Only 48 injections were delivered at the pharmacy out of a possible 150 (34%). About 26 participants received no injections at the pharmacy and only seven (14%) participants received all three injections at the pharmacy. Participants reported mixed experiences, with some welcoming the intervention but others experiencing difficulty with pharmacist availability. Pharmacists were enthusiastic about this expansion of their role, and did not view their availability as a barrier to service delivery.CONCLUSIONS:
Delivery of the subcutaneous contraceptive injectable from a community pharmacy may be feasible but availability of sufficient numbers of pharmacists trained in this technique is necessary for a robust model of service delivery.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Medroxyprogesterone Acetate
/
Community Pharmacy Services
/
Contraceptive Agents, Female
/
Medication Adherence
Type of study:
Evaluation_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care
Journal subject:
MEDICINA REPRODUTIVA
/
SERVICOS DE PLANEJAMENTO FAMILIAR
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: