Evaluation of the clinical pharmacist's role in educating women about the benefits and risks of combined oral contraceptive pills in Jordan

Objective To assess the pre-intervention knowledge of women regarding the risks and benefits associated with the use of combined oral contraceptive (COC) pills. Then, to investigate the effect of an educational intervention on the knowledge of women about the risks and benefits of COC pills. Methods The study adopted two methodologies: a structured interview technique with women selected according to inclusion criteria, and a pre- and postintervention to measure the effect that clinical pharmacist's intervention may have had on them. Women who attended family-planning clinics in the north of Jordan were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions about demographics and questions to assess women's knowledge about COC pills. Then, women attended a 45-min educational session about COC pills. One month later, the questionnaire was redistributed to the participants to assess any difference in their knowledge. Key findings Two hundred and ten women were enrolled in the study. One hundred and seventy-seven women completed the study. At baseline, a quarter of the participants relied on other people's experiences as their main source of information with regards to COC pills. Moreover, 28.1% of women considered COC pills harmful. In addition, the results showed that the frequency of correct answers postintervention increased significantly compared to pre-intervention (P < 0.005) including general information about COC pills and the relation between the use of COC pills and cancer. Conclusion Educational intervention introduced by clinical pharmacists improved the knowledge of women in Jordan regarding COC pills.