Community pharmacists' provision of sexual and reproductive health services: A cross-sectional study in Alberta, Canada

Background: In many countries, pharmacists' scope of practice enables the delivery of professional pharmacy services related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Studies exploring practices and perspectives regarding a wide range of SRH professional pharmacy services and the extent to which pharmacists are involved in prescribing or administering injections are limited. Objectives: This study aimed to explore SRH professional pharmacy services provided by pharmacists, evaluate pharmacists' self-reported confidence in providing SRH education and determine preferences for additional training. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey was administered to pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Alberta, Canada. The survey was sent via e-mail and was open for 8 weeks between June and August 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Most of the 303 participants were female (66%) and received their first pharmacy degree in Canada (69%). Approximately two-thirds had additional prescribing authorization (APA), and 97% had injections authorization; 90% and 94% of participants reported administering injectable contraceptives and human papillomavirus vaccine, respectively, and more than 95% renewed prescriptions for oral contraceptives. Of the participants with APA, approximately 40% reported providing initial prescribing services for contraceptive products. Overall, participants reported confidence in providing SRH education for most topics. Most selected topics for additional training were related to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections; sexual health concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning; and abortion medications. Conclusion: Pharmacists in Alberta reported providing a wide range of SRH services and are interested in expanding their SRH role. These findings highlight opportunities to improve access and reduce inequities in the delivery of SRH services through community pharmacies. However, pharmacists' training needs should be considered. (C) 2022 American Pharmacists Association (R). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.