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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01738971

Initiating Contraception After Emergency Contraception From Pharmacy

Pharmacists do not provide immediate contraception to women after emergency contraception (EC); they can only give advice on local contraceptive services.

The investigators wish to establish the following 2 pharmacy- based interventions in NHS Lothian, designed to increase uptake of effective contraception as soon as possible, after EC

1. Pharmacists would provide one packet of progestogen-only pills, giving women one month to arrange an appointment with contraceptive services. 2. Rapid access to a family planning clinic upon presentation of the empty EC packet. Women would be seen as a 'walk-in' and contraception provided.

If feasible, these interventions could reduce unintended pregnancies.

Participating pharmacies will be randomised to provide one of the interventions, or standard care (verbal/written advice on local contraceptive services).

Women requesting EC from study pharmacies will be recruited by the research nurse/doctor to participate in the study that will involve them consenting to contact by telephone 6-8 weeks after EC by the researcher, to evaluate the interventions in terms of :

(i) determine women's experiences/ views of the interventions and control. (ii) determine if women have commenced effective contraception and if not , reasons why.

A subset of 12 women will also be invited for in-depth interview to collect more detailed qualitative data on their EC experience.

The investigators also wish to (iii) explore pharmacists views on the interventions

Data from this pilot will enable the investigators to determine whether a larger multisite study is feasible. The aims of a larger study being to determine if either of the two interventions being tested result in an increased proportion of women using effective ongoing contraception compared to the control.

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Key information

Conditions

Contraceptive Use After Emergency Contraception

Age range

16 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Chalmers sexual and reproductive health service

Edinburgh, Lothian, EH39ES, United Kingdom

About this study

The investigators propose to test 2 pharmacy based interventions to increase uptake of effective contraception after EC:

  • Pharmacists would provide one packet of progestogen-only pills to women, so that they would have 28 days to arrange an appointment with contraceptive services to get a supply of ongoing contraception.
  • Rapid access to a family planning clinic upon presentation of their empty(used) packet of EC. Women would be seen as a 'walk-in' (without appointment) and ongoing contraception discussed and provided.

These interventions would be compared with the status quo, i.e. pharmacists give verbal advice and written information on local contraceptive services where ongoing contraception can be accessed.

The interventions that we are testing are low cost i.e one packet of progestogen-only pills (£3 for most costly brand) plus additional consultation time with the pharmacist (estimated 20 mins@ £1 per minute), versus the staff consultation time in a family planning clinic. In the family planning clinic, women would be seen as a 'walk-in' and so this may not add costs, since staff are already present.These interventions could, if shown to be effective, offer huge costs savings to the NHS, by reducing the costs of unintended pregnancies (abortion, miscarriage, birth).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • age >= 16 yrs
  • requesting emergency contraception
  • eligible for emergency contraception
  • written , informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • age < 16 yrs
  • not able to give written , informed consent

Treatment and study plan

rapid access

Other

Provision of box which the participant can take to local family planning clinic (contraceptive service) allowing rapid access (i.e. will be seen by a health professional for a consultation regarding contraception there and then).

one month progestogen only pill

Other

Provision of 1 month supply of a progestogen only pill (levonorgestrel 35mcg - Norgeston, Bayer, UK)

Other names: Norgeston (Bayer, UK)

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-reported Uptake of Effective Ongoing Contraception (Not Condoms)

    Time frame: 6-8 weeks after EC

    Outcome measure identified when participants conducted for agreed telephone interview 6-8 weeks following recruitment to study. Participants asked via telephone what method of contraception, if any, there were currently using.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Pharmacy Recruitment Rates

    Time frame: 8 months

    Proportion of participants that pharmacists were successful in recruiting during the specified 8 month recruitment time period. Initial target set to recruit 60 participants to each arm/group.

  2. Completeness (Quality) of Data Recorded by Pharmacists (Numbers of Women Attending for EC,Demographics of All Attendees- Age, Ethnicity Etc)

    Time frame: 8 months

  3. Proportion of Women Who Agree to Participate Who Can be Successfully Contacted

    Time frame: 8 months

Other outcomes

  1. Qualitative Outcomes : Women's Views on Different Measures to Determine Validity of Self-reported Data on Contraceptive Use , Determined by in Depth Interviews.

    Time frame: 8 months

  2. Qualitative Outcomes : Pharmacist's Views on Interventions and Any Study Difficulties

    Time frame: 12 months

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Edinburgh

Other

Collaborators

  • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • NHS Lothian

Registry information

Official study title

Pharmacy Based Interventions for Initiating Effective Contraception Following the Use of Emergency Contraception : a Feasibility Study

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2012
Study completion
2012
First posted
Nov 30, 2012
Registry last updated
Aug 18, 2014

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.