Availability of emergency contraception after its deregulation from prescription-only status: a survey of Ontario pharmacies.
cross_sectional · Level IV
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 18268268.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1503/cmaj.070861 and PMC identifier PMC2228344.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
In 2005 the emergency contraception formulation of levonorgestrel (Plan B) became available in Ontario pharmacies without a prescription. We surveyed 239 pharmacies 1 month before the regulatory change and 14-17 months after the change to determine whether availability of the drug increased. The response rates were 79% and 70% before and after the change in status. The proportion of pharmacies that had an in-stock supply of Plan B increased from 78% to 92% (p < 0.001). After the regulatory change, 87% of the surveyed pharmacies (95% confidence interval 82%-92%) reported that they had the drug in stock and were willing to dispense it behind the counter. Availability was similar for urban and rural pharmacies, but rural pharmacies had more restricted hours (e.g., 15% closed on weekends). Thus, as a result of the regulatory change, emergency contraception is more widely available, but access in rural areas is still limited by restricted pharmacy hours.