{"title":"PHARMACIST PERSPECTIVES ON PRESCRIBING MEDICATION ABORTION: FINDINGS FROM A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF CALIFORNIA PHARMACISTS","authors":"JJ Serpico, C Cohen, L Serrano, RM Beltran","doi":"10.1016/j.contraception.2024.110592","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>We aimed to explore pharmacist attitudes toward dispensing and prescribing medication abortion.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 30 practicing licensed California pharmacists from October 2022 to July 2023. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling with a focus on attaining a diverse sample. Twenty-nine interviews were analyzed. Key themes were identified using Hamilton’s (2019) Rapid Qualitative Analysis Approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Five key themes emerged: (1) pharmacists strongly supported pharmacist-dispensed medication abortion; (2) pharmacists expressed qualified support for pharmacist-prescribed medication abortion; (3) pharmacists were concerned about legality and liability in the abortion context; (4) pharmacists both endorsed and critiqued abortion stigma; and (5) pharmacists articulated various visions of their appropriate role in care provision. Almost all pharmacists supported dispensing medication abortion. While most expressed some support for prescribing medication for abortion, many expressed concerns, primarily around the themes of legality/liability and abortion stigma, as well as two prescribing sub-themes: training needs and logistical/operational barriers. Pharmacists lacked clarity around legality and desired legal protections, including for providing medication abortion to out-of-state patients. Pharmacists expressed concerns about protestors or community backlash and endorsed the belief that abortion patients may need mental health counseling, which they did not feel equipped to provide. Some pharmacists highlighted their role as accessible healthcare providers with increasing responsibility, while others emphasized having distinct roles from prescribing providers. Overall, pharmacists emphasized providing non-judgmental care, including dispensing medication for abortion without questioning the patient’s or prescribing provider’s judgment.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our results provide preliminary evidence that a meaningful portion of pharmacists may be open to prescribing medication abortion, if expressed concerns are addressed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10762,"journal":{"name":"Contraception","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Contraception","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010782424002877","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
We aimed to explore pharmacist attitudes toward dispensing and prescribing medication abortion.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 30 practicing licensed California pharmacists from October 2022 to July 2023. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling with a focus on attaining a diverse sample. Twenty-nine interviews were analyzed. Key themes were identified using Hamilton’s (2019) Rapid Qualitative Analysis Approach.
Results
Five key themes emerged: (1) pharmacists strongly supported pharmacist-dispensed medication abortion; (2) pharmacists expressed qualified support for pharmacist-prescribed medication abortion; (3) pharmacists were concerned about legality and liability in the abortion context; (4) pharmacists both endorsed and critiqued abortion stigma; and (5) pharmacists articulated various visions of their appropriate role in care provision. Almost all pharmacists supported dispensing medication abortion. While most expressed some support for prescribing medication for abortion, many expressed concerns, primarily around the themes of legality/liability and abortion stigma, as well as two prescribing sub-themes: training needs and logistical/operational barriers. Pharmacists lacked clarity around legality and desired legal protections, including for providing medication abortion to out-of-state patients. Pharmacists expressed concerns about protestors or community backlash and endorsed the belief that abortion patients may need mental health counseling, which they did not feel equipped to provide. Some pharmacists highlighted their role as accessible healthcare providers with increasing responsibility, while others emphasized having distinct roles from prescribing providers. Overall, pharmacists emphasized providing non-judgmental care, including dispensing medication for abortion without questioning the patient’s or prescribing provider’s judgment.
Conclusions
Our results provide preliminary evidence that a meaningful portion of pharmacists may be open to prescribing medication abortion, if expressed concerns are addressed.
期刊介绍：
Contraception has an open access mirror journal Contraception: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review.
The journal Contraception wishes to advance reproductive health through the rapid publication of the best and most interesting new scholarship regarding contraception and related fields such as abortion. The journal welcomes manuscripts from investigators working in the laboratory, clinical and social sciences, as well as public health and health professions education.
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