Student pharmacists’ perceptions regarding pharmacist-prescribed hormonal contraceptives and their professional responsibility

Evaluation of Student Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Hormonal Contraception Prescribing in Indiana

“…In particular, the majority (n = 85/104, 81.7%) of female respondents had a history of using hormonal contraceptives and also believe this service would be beneficial for women in Indiana. These findings are similar to what Mospan et al found among pharmacy students in North Carolina, with 80.4% of female respondents having a history of using hormonal contraceptives [ 24 ]. Although women in the study were not significantly more likely to support or oppose the delivery of this service than men, women’s personal experiences accessing, or attempting to access, hormonal contraceptives in Indiana may provide valuable insight into the benefits of allowing pharmacists to provide this service in Indiana.…”

“…Studies have demonstrated that student pharmacists were supportive of such expansion of practice before it became a reality in states such as California [ 23 ]. Although student pharmacist perceptions of hormonal contraception prescribing have been assessed in states that do not yet allow pharmacists to provide this service, such as North Carolina [ 24 ] and Alabama [ 25 ], it is important to understand how student pharmacists in Indiana close to graduation perceive prescribing hormonal contraceptives. Many student pharmacists graduating from pharmacy schools in Indiana will stay and practice in the state [ 26 ].…”

Pharmacist-Prescribed Hormonal Contraception: Does Didactic Hormonal Contraception Education Affect Student Pharmacist Perceptions of This Professional Activity?

“…The results of this study demonstrate that regardless of timing within their professional training, current student pharmacists (1) feel pharmacists are adequately educated to prescribe HC, (2) embrace the expansion of the pharmacist's scope of practice to include prescribing HC, and (3) are interested in prescribing HC as part of their future careers. Regardless of training status, well over 80% of students "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with each of these aforementioned statements, which is comparable to other student reported perspectives [4,9].…”

“…A 2007 survey assessing California pharmacy students in their second or third professional years who had completed contraceptive training identified very strong interest in pharmacist prescribing (96.2%) [4]. Additionally, Mospan et al found that 83.6% of third year pharmacy students believe prescribing contraception is a professional responsibility [9]. However, survey data from practicing pharmacists indicate that although a majority are interested in prescribing contraception, the rates are generally lower than those reported by students.…”

“…As public and professional acceptance of pharmacist-prescribed contraception has grown, it is reasonable to believe that pharmacy student training experiences and expectations of their professional activities may have also changed compared to pharmacists who started practicing more than 5 years ago. Georgia does not currently permit pharmacist-prescribed HC, but recent data from other non-prescribing states indicate that student pharmacists in their last year of their didactic training (third professional year) currently view this as a professional responsibility [9]. This study aims to assess pharmacy student's (1) perceptions of pharmacist education, (2) perceptions of a pharmacist's scope of practice regarding contraceptive prescribing, and (3) personal interest in providing this service as a pharmacist, and compare differences in these variables between students who have received contraceptive education versus those who have not.…”