Assessment of the Implementation of Pharmacists’ Prescriptive Authority to Furnish Hormonal Contraceptives, Naloxone, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy in California

Abstract

Background California State Board of Pharmacy passed Senate Bill 493 authorizing pharmacists to furnish self-administered hormonal contraceptives, nicotine replacement products, and naloxone. Although California Senate Bill 493 expanded pharmacists’ scope of practice, limited implementation persists. Objective The objectives of this study were to assess the implementation of pharmacists’ prescriptive authority to furnish hormonal contraceptives, naloxone, and NRT in California as allowed by the Board of Pharmacy and availability of these services to patients in order to facilitate the development of strategies to expand them. The objective of the first part was to investigate reported awareness and barriers to implementation of services, while the second part was to report actual implementation rates. Methods This was an IRB-approved two-part cross-sectional survey that explored factors that may be associated with the limited implementation of the expanded scope of practice services. Results The two-part study had a total of 389 respondents. In the first part of the study, there were a total of 84 respondents. The majority reported that they were aware that pharmacists have the authority to furnish hormonal contraceptives, naloxone, and NRT, but services were limited. In the second part of the study, there were a total of 305 respondents, each responding to questions addressing only one of the three services: hormonal contraceptives (104 respondents), naloxone (101 respondents), and NRT (100 respondents). Within those subgroups, 19% of the respondents stated they offer hormonal contraceptives, 10% offer NRT, and 84% offer naloxone. Conclusion The results of the two-part study suggested that pharmacists’ authority to furnish these services were limited, thus patients’ access to these services were also limited.