Most pharmacists support over-the-counter availability of oral contraceptives, according to a new survey.
Most respondents to a survey conducted by APESMA said they would be willing to prescribe the contraceptive pill given the right resources and working environment. Half the respondents said they would feel comfortable in assessing suitability and supplying oral contraceptives if a protocol was developed. Most said the patient should consult a GP for initial assessment and supply of the contraceptive.
"Since pharmacists have been prescribing for all of their life in the OTC area, linked with the level of therapeutics knowledge and the high level of contact with patients, it seems only obvious that pharmacists have the skill and capacity to assist the medical profession in this area," said Geoff March, president of the Pharmacist Division of APESMA.
But survey respondents felt they would need further training before introducing the service, while only half indicated that they had a suitable consultation area in the pharmacy.
An appointment system was deemed the most efficient method of managing such a service, with almost all respondents nominating appointment times of six-10 minutes or 11- 15 minutes. Suggested charges for the service ranged from $10-$40 per 10 minutes, with an average of $18. All but a few felt that a pharmacy prescriber number should be instituted for Medicare reimbursement.
"It would appear that there are a substantial number of pharmacists willing to embrace the extension of the current patient care activities, provided the resources, structures and peer support is in place," said Mr March.
"This is a challenge for the profession, to ensure a framework is in place that supports such services. In the past, services such as RMMR, HMR and CMIs and more recently, medical certificates, dose administration aids and diabetes care are all steps in this direction. However, these services have not been introduced under a clearly defined, overarching framework. Instead, it has been a matter of adding to current supply side processes. As a consequence, these initiatives will never achieve the results we would hope for. This should form part of the next round of Guild-Government negotiations, but unfortunately to date the Guild is simply not interested in formulating a pharmacy practice embracing patient care at its centre," he said.
Not all pharmacists welcomed the idea of prescribing the pill, with some respondents raising concerns about liability, workload and the potential for pharmacists to "become slack over time".
Earlier this year, Democrat Senator Lyn Allison reignited debate over downscheduling of the pill, asking the government to consider a British-style scheme in which pharmacists ask women about their health and measure blood pressure before prescribing the pill.