Emergency contraception counseling: an opportunity for pharmacists
Ragland, D.; Payakachat, N.; Ounpraseuth, S.; Pate, A.; Harrod, S.E.; Ott, R.E.
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association Japha 51(6): 756-761
2011
ISSN/ISBN: 1544-3450 PMID: 22068198 DOI: 10.1331/japha.2011.10157Document Number: 223923
To determine the impact of pharmacist counseling on patients' knowledge of emergency contraception (EC). Single-group, repeated-measures analysis. Academic medical center women's clinic in Little Rock, AR, between January and July 2010. 116 women 18 years or older. 10-minute education session provided by a pharmacist or trained student pharmacist. Change in participants' test scores (range 0 ) at three assessment periods (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) using 12 knowledge questions. 116 participants with a mean (±SD) age of 25 ± 5.9 years participated in this study. Mean knowledge scores were 5.3 ± 4.1 for the pretest and 10.7 ± 1.4 for the posttest (P < 0.001). The least-squares mean EC knowledge test score (adjusted for demographics) was 5.86 at pretest, 10.75 at posttest, and 10.75 at follow-up. A nonsignificant small change in scores from posttest to follow-up was detected after the Tukey-Kramer adjustment. A higher education level was associated with higher knowledge scores in this population. Brief pharmacist-driven counseling sessions provided in a clinic setting are feasible and have a positive impact on immediate EC knowledge and long-term knowledge retention.