Emergency contraception availability in New Mexico: Impact of direct pharmacy access

Objectives: To assess the impact of direct pharmacy access to emergency contraception (EC) and availability of EC in Albuquerque and rural New Mexico and to compare availability of EC in Albuquerque with that estimated in a 2002 study. Design: Investigational study. Setting: Albuquerque and rural New Mexico, between March and September 2005. Participants: 121 community pharmacies (94 in Albuquerque and 27 in rural New Mexico). Interventions: Research assistants visited pharmacies and followed a predetermined script during interviews with pharmacy staff. Main outcome measures: Availability of EC with and without an advance prescription; other factors related to EC access. Results: EC was available in 50% of both Albuquerque and rural pharmacies. EC was available without an advance prescription in 13% of pharmacies. The medication was more likely to be in stock at pharmacies with an EC-certified pharmacist on staff (92%) than in those without an EC-certified pharmacist (39%) (P < 0.001). A study performed in 2002 reported that EC was in stock during 11% of visits to Albuquerque pharmacies, whereas the current study reported EC being available during 50% of visits. Conclusion: At the time of this study, EC availability was similar in both Albuquerque and rural New Mexico pharmacies, and pharmacies with trained pharmacists on staff were more likely to stock EC medications.