Patient experiences with pharmacist prescribing of hormonal contraception in California
Contraception
Awarded 2017
Large Research Grants
Kate Grindlay, MSPH
Ibis Reproductive Health
$51,326

California and Oregon were the first states in the US to expand the scope of pharmacist practice to include prescribing self-administered hormonal contraception under a statewide protocol. Both states implemented their pharmacist protocols in 2016. In California, wide-scale implementation of this law has been slow for a number of reasons, including that many retail pharmacy chains are still piloting the program in limited locations; however, residents across the state have started accessing pharmacies for these services. Little is known about patient experiences with these pharmacist prescribing services or the population of users. In this first study of user experiences with pharmacy services around prescribing and continuing hormonal birth control, we aim to recruit a sample of consumers (N=300) who have accessed a prescription and contraceptive supplies directly through a pharmacist in California for an online survey. The survey will explore user characteristics, acceptability of the service, overall satisfaction with the visit, likelihood of returning to the pharmacist for future contraceptive services, and intentions around preventive screening outside of the pharmacy after the interaction. Understanding user experiences now, as these services ramp up, is crucial to ensuring pharmacist prescribing models meet the needs of consumers and laying the groundwork for understanding how people see this service fitting into the health care services they access. This information is critical if pharmacist prescribing programs are to successfully expand access to contraceptive services and help to reduce unintended pregnancy at the state level.