Pharmacist-Administered Injectable Contraception Can Help Fill Gaps in Care
A conversation with Nicole Cieri-Hutcherson, PharmD, BCPS, MSCP, FCCP, clinical associate professor at University at Buffalo.
In the United States, over 65% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 currently use some form of contraception. Of those, 14% reported using the pill and 10.4% said they use long-acting reversible methods, such as intrauterine devices or contraceptive implants.1 Access to contraception is critical. However, depending on the state, between 17% and 53% of patients currently live in a contraception desert, where access to contraception is limited.2
As the most accessible members of the health care team, pharmacists are well positioned to help improve access to contraception. In a recent review published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, investigators assessed the feasibility, applicability, and satisfaction of pharmacist-administered injectable contraception.3 The study found that it can be beneficial, accessible, and convenient for patients.
Drug Topics® recently sat down with Nicole Cieri-Hutcherson, PharmD, BCPS, MSCP, FCCP, clinical associate professor at University at Buffalo and an author on the study, to discuss why community pharmacists are well-positioned to provide injectable contraception, as well as how pharmacists and patients view the service.
“Community pharmacists … [with] their current scope of practice and ability to administer vaccinations means that contraceptive injection techniques are training that they already have,” Cieri-Hutcherson said.
“Pharmacists have the opportunity to really address a large gap in contraceptive access,” she added. “Over 19 million females of reproductive age in the US reside in a contraceptive desert, which means that they are unable to easily access a health clinic that offers the full range of contraceptive methods.”
