Ashcraft Amie M, Ponte Charles D, Montgomery Caitlin, Farjo Sara, Murray Pamela J
Department of Family Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Department of Family Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Womens Health Issues. 2023 Sep-Oct;33(5):489-496. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2023.04.001. Epub 2023 Jul 4.
To ensure access to effective levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraception (EC), pharmacies must keep medication in stock or available for quick delivery, and pharmacists must be knowledgeable about sales restrictions and the therapeutic window for EC. We conducted a mystery caller study to assess LNG EC availability and information accuracy provided by staff in West Virginia community pharmacies.
A female research team member posed as a 16-year-old caller to ask pharmacy staff questions about whether LNG EC was in stock, the requirements for purchase, and when it should be taken for effectiveness. Data were analyzed with SPSS using the Pearson's χ test to determine if there was a relationship between pharmacy type and response accuracy to our questions about point-of-sale requirements and timing for effectiveness for LNG EC.
Of the 506 pharmacies in the sample, 275 (54.3%) were chain pharmacies and 231 (45.7%) were independent. Overall, chain pharmacies provided significantly more accurate answers than independent pharmacies on all point-of-sale requirements. Regarding timing for effectiveness, 49.2% of all pharmacies provided an accurate response (62.9% for chain pharmacies vs. 32.9% for independent pharmacies).
Overall, availability and accuracy regarding LNG EC were poor in West Virginia pharmacies. Pharmacists, particularly those at independent pharmacies serving rural communities, are in a critical and powerful position to influence community health by providing accurate and timely information and access to all contraceptive options, including LNG EC.
为确保能获得有效的左炔诺孕酮（LNG）紧急避孕药物（EC），药房必须备有该药物库存或能够快速送货，并且药剂师必须了解销售限制和紧急避孕的治疗窗口。我们开展了一项神秘来电者研究，以评估西弗吉尼亚州社区药房中LNG紧急避孕药物的可获得性以及工作人员提供信息的准确性。
一名女性研究团队成员伪装成一名16岁的来电者，向药房工作人员询问有关LNG紧急避孕药物是否有库存、购买要求以及何时服用才能有效等问题。使用SPSS软件对数据进行分析，采用Pearson卡方检验来确定药房类型与我们关于LNG紧急避孕药物销售点要求和有效性时间问题的回答准确性之间是否存在关联。
在样本中的506家药房中，275家（54.3%）是连锁药房，231家（45.7%）是独立药房。总体而言，在所有销售点要求方面，连锁药房提供的准确答案明显多于独立药房。关于有效性时间，所有药房中有49.2%给出了准确回答（连锁药房为62.9%，独立药房为32.9%）。
总体而言，西弗吉尼亚州药房中LNG紧急避孕药物的可获得性和信息准确性较差。药剂师，尤其是那些服务于农村社区的独立药房的药剂师，在通过提供准确及时的信息以及让人们能够获得包括LNG紧急避孕药物在内的所有避孕选择来影响社区健康方面，处于关键且有力的地位。
