We aimed to assess pharmacists’ contraceptive knowledge and evaluate the contraceptives requested and sold in pharmacies.
The present study was a descriptive study carried out in cooperation with the Chamber of Pharmacists of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Data were collected by questionnaire, and pharmacists’ total knowledge scores were calculated.
The study comprised 101 participants, 86.1% of whom were women. Combined oral contraceptives were the most requested (97.0%) and supplied (94.1%) contraceptive method. The mean total knowledge score of pharmacists was 51.6 ± 12.9 (median 54.0, range 14.0–72.0). Among pharmacists, 51.5% said they had never received any training about contraception.
The results showed that pharmacists providing contraceptive counseling services need continuing in-service training. The current regulations on the duties and responsibilities of pharmacists in Turkey involve counseling about medication use. Practical training is suggested to provide better quality services in family planning/reproductive health care. Further studies are required to assess the availability of contraceptive methods in Turkish pharmacies and pharmacies and pharmacists’ status as providers of contraception.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1806999
