Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists and health-care workers regarding oral contraceptives correct usage, side-effects and contraindications

Abstract

Despite the success of the Iranian family planning programme, the number of unwanted pregnancies remains high. To investigate whether health workers in Tabriz are providing correct information and counselling about OCP use, the current study was planned to examine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of OCP providers. A sample of 150 health-care workers in health houses and 150 community/hospital pharmacists answered a questionnaire about knowledge of correct use of OCP, side-effects, contraindications, danger signs/symptoms and non-contraceptive benefits, and whether they counselled patients about these subjects. Knowledge of pharmacists and health workers was not as high as expected and in many topics they were counselling patients even when they had incorrect knowledge and in other areas they were not providing information to patients despite having the correct knowledge. Better continuing education for OCP providers and especially for pharmacists seems necessary. Connaissances, attitudes et pratiques des pharmaciens et des agents de soins de santé concernant l'utilisation correcte des contraceptifs oraux, les effets secondaires et les contre-indicationsRÉSUMÉ Malgré le succès du programme de planification familiale iranien, le nombre de grossesses non désirées reste élevé. Pour savoir si les agents de soins de santé à Tabriz fournissaient des informations et des conseils adaptés sur l'utilisation des pilules contraceptives, la présente étude a été planifiée pour examiner le niveau de connaissances, les attitudes et les pratiques des personnes qui dispensent des pilules contraceptives. Un échantillon de 150 agents de soins de santé dans des maisons de santé et de 150 pharmaciens en milieu hospitalier ou communautaire ont répondu au questionnaire évaluant leurs connaissances sur l'utilisation correcte des pilules contraceptives, les effets secondaires, les contre-indications, les signes de danger/symptômes et les avantages non-contraceptifs, mais aussi sur l'offre ou non de conseils aux patientes en la matière. Les connaissances des pharmaciens et des agents de soins de santé n'étaient pas aussi bonnes qu'escomptées. De plus, sur de nombreux sujets, ils conseillaient les patientes même lorsqu'ils avaient des connaissances erronées et dans d'autres domaines, ils s'abstenaient de proposer des conseils malgré la justesse de leurs connaissances. Améliorer la formation continue des des personnes qui dispensent des pilules contraceptives, et particulièrement des pharmaciens, semble nécessaire.

Evaluating the practice of Iranian community pharmacists regarding oral contraceptive pills using simulated patients

“…Moreover, another study carried out in Iran using a questionnaire about OCPs use showed that the knowledge of pharmacists about OCPs was not at the expected level, and in some areas they provided incorrect information. Deficiencies in communication skills also were apparent 32. The last two mentioned studies undertaken in Iran confirmed the results of the present study.…”

Knowledge of pharmacists on proper use of oral contraceptive pills and missed dose instructions in United Arab Emirates

“…Similar percentages were reported by a study conducted among pharmacists in Egypt [17]. Other studies had shown that respondent knew how to handle one missed pill but few knew how to handle multiple missed pills [5,14]. This indicates a gap in dispensing practices that can affect OCPs users' adherence [10,11].…”

“…Placebo-controlled trials had failed to show any association between low-dose combined OCs and weight gain [8]. Similar percentages were reported among pharmacists (76.7 %) by another study [14].…”

“…Despite the high number of prescription per week, a lack of in-depth knowledge was identified. This gap was also reported by several other studies [10,11,14,17] About half of the study participants knew what to advise a patient if she forgot a dose in the first week, while one of four knew what a user should do if the missed dose is in the second or third week. Similar percentages were reported by a study conducted among pharmacists in Egypt [17].…”

Unforeseen uses of oral contraceptive pills: Exploratory study in Jordanian community pharmacies

“…The study findings have revealed that pharmacists and pharmacy trainees showed good knowledge about OCPs, who were aware of the non-contraceptive uses and the most common side effects of OCPs. Similar to these results, an Iranian study showed that more than 90% of pharmacists have identified the non-contraception use of OCPs and their side effects [ 22 ]. Also, a study in the United Arab Emirates showed that the majority of pharmacists could identify the most common side effects of OCPs, such as weight gain and mood fluctuations [ 23 ].…”