Abstract
The health provider Umbrella delivers several SRHS through more than 120 pharmacies in Birmingham (England). Umbrella pharmacy data collected between August 2015 and August 2018 were used to descriptively analyse the uptake and user characteristics for emergency contraception, short-acting oral contraception, condoms and chlamydia treatment. In total, 54,309 pharmacy visits were analysed. A total of 30,473 females presented for emergency contraception. Most were supplied with an emergency contraceptive pill (98.6%, 30,052 out of 30,473), which was levonorgestrel in 57.4% of cases (17,255 out of 30,052). Of those females who attended for short-acting oral contraception, 54.3% (1764 out of 3247) were provided with the progesterone-only pill. Of those who were given chlamydia treatment, the majority received doxycycline (76.8%, 454 out of 591). A total of 74% (14,888 out of 19,998) of those who requested condoms were not provided with specific instructions on their use. Pharmacies have the potential to make a substantial contribution to the delivery of an integrated sexual health service including rapid access to emergency contraception, convenient delivery of short-acting hormonal contraception and treatment of chlamydia. Appropriate education, support and audit is required to ensure the delivery of high-quality care.
Highlights
Pharmacies are the most frequently visited health care destination and play a vital part in the delivery of health care worldwide [1]
Contraceptive responsibility was not necessarily tied to female-specific methods, with females accounting for the majority of access for all contraceptive methods, including condoms
While males can attend for condoms, access to hormonal contraceptive methods is restricted to females only in Umbrella pharmacies
Summary
Pharmacies are the most frequently visited health care destination and play a vital part in the delivery of health care worldwide [1]. Policy makers are increasingly recognising the importance of extending pharmacy staff roles to meet growing health care demands. Several countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States are funding public health services in pharmacies [2,3,4]. Recent policies aim to extend pharmacists’ practice beyond dispensing into more clinical and patient-centred roles [5]. The United Kingdom (UK) has been at the forefront of expanding pharmacists’ roles, and many pharmacies in the UK provide public health services such as smoking cessation, lifestyle advice, substance use management and sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) [2]. SRHS has been identified as one area in which pharmacies could be more involved
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