The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #67117

Nicole Monastersky, MPH¹, Lili Sims², and Sharon Cohen, MPH². (1) Pharmacy Access Partnership, 614 Grand, Suite 324, Oakland, CA 94610, 510-272-0150, nmonastersky@phi.org, (2) Pharmacy Access Partnership, Public Health Institute, 614 Grand Avenue, Suite 324, Oakland, CA 94610

A significant number of women rely on injectable contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. The medical contraindications for progestin-only or combined estrogen and progestin contraceptives are very similar, whether administered orally or by injection. While oral contraceptive users may receive a supply or prescription for up to a year, women on injectable contraceptives are not given the same convenience. Why not afford women on injectable contraceptives (IC) the same convenience as oral contraceptive (OC) users? Increasingly, pharmacists are providing injections (e.g. flu and immunizations) and many schools of pharmacy now require that graduates be trained to administer injections. These changes make pharmacies a viable option to perform the “re-supply” function for women on injectable contraceptives. This report describes the development and preliminary findings from the demonstration sites in California where physicians partnered with pharmacies to provide women an extra (optional) service site to obtain birth control shots and to evaluate consumer, physician and pharmacist satisfaction in using pharmacies to maintain women on injectable contraception.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to:
• Articulate the rationale for developing a demonstration project to evaluate consumer, pharmacist and provider satisfaction in using pharmacies to maintain women on injectable contraception.
• Recognize the role that pharmacists can play in making it easier to maintain contraceptive adherence and thus avoid unintentional pregnancy.
• Understand the implementation challenges and lessons learned from the start-up phase of the injectable contraception demonstration project.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am an employee of the Pharmacy Access Partnership, a center of the Public Health Institute