Emergency contraception: knowledge, attitudes and practice of the pharmacy staff in Aydin, Turkey.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to emergency contraception (EC) among pharmacy staff.

METHODS

This descriptive and cross-sectional survey was conducted among 143 pharmacy staff in Aydin city centre who agreed to participate. Data was collected thorough questionnaires that were filled in by face to face interviews between April and June 2007.

RESULTS

Remarkably most of the participants (n = 110) did not know the action mechanism of these pills. Forty-four participants reported that these drugs caused mostly hormonal side-effects. Only four participants knew all indications of EC pills. According to 72 participants, contraceptive pills should not be available without a prescription. The number of pharmacy staff who reported giving counseling to clients about family planning methods was low (n = 12).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study revealed that pharmacy staff in the region had inadequate knowledge on EC. Pharmacy staff may play a crucial role in women's access to EC, and there is a need for new interventions to improve and update their knowledge on, and to improve their attitudes toward EC methods.