Counseling on Contraceptives: An Unfilled Need

Abstract

The dictum that pharmacists have a fundamental responsibility to provide health care information for their patients includes the need to furnish complete and accurate information on all of the contraceptive products that currently are on the market. To help accomplish this, many different resources are available that provide guidance for comprehensive patient education on all the different products and devices. If one agrees to the principle that an individual's sexuality is an accepted element of his or her life, then promoting sexual well-being should be an important part of health care. Yet, it seems that pharmacists and other health care professionals in general have not been particularly liberated about talking about and making objective assessments on sexual matters. Health care professionals seem to need more education to enable them to provide accurate information, to augment their own knowledge bases, and to reduce their inhibitions and possible misconceptions about sexual matters. Pharmacists do not want to appear as if they are encouraging or promoting sexual activity, but, given the consequences of nonuse of contraception, socially responsible pharmacists need to disseminate basic information about the use of contraceptive products. At some level, too, objective guidelines should be established to help pharmacists in handling contraceptive information. Pharmacists can play a key role in counseling on both prescription and nonprescription methods. In fact, pharmacists may be the only health care professionals with whom a sexually active person can speak about nonprescription contraceptive methods. Some pharmacists have been reluctant to provide patient information because of the risk of possible liability. But this attitude seems to be changing. The recent emphasis on clinical functions in pharmacy practice has led to speculation that, as pharmacists come to assume new roles, they may become liable for not providing some of this information. At present, at least 22 states already have guidelines or regulations requiring pharmacists to counsel patients. To provide the most effective learning experience, active participation is the key ingredient. It is necessary to elicit active participation in the counseling process. It is not possible to give complete guidance on the subject of contraceptives to every patient that comes in the store. Nor is every person going to be receptive, at least initially, to the idea of talking about contraception with a pharmacist. Yet, the role of the pharmacist takes on greater significance now because of the controversy that continues to surround some of the safety and efficacy issues of oral contraceptives and IUDs. Brochures and other materials are available to help pharmacists counsel patients on all of the different contraceptive methods.