Browsing by Author "Landau, Sharon Cohen"

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    Older Teen Attitudes Towards Birth Control Access in Pharmacies: A Qualitative Study
    (Elsevier, 2017) Wilkinson, Tracey A.; Miller, Courtney; Rafie, Samantha; Landau, Sharon Cohen; Rafie, Sally; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Objectives To examine adolescent attitudes toward accessing contraception through a new pharmacist prescribing model in the State of California. Study design In-depth telephone interviews were conducted in summer 2015 with 30 females ages 18 to 19 in California. Participants were recruited using a social media advertisement. Semi-structured interviews utilized open-ended questions to understand teens' experiences with pharmacies, experiences obtaining contraception, and views on pharmacist prescribing of contraception. Responses were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using an independent-coder method to identify salient themes. Results Participants were ethnically diverse and primarily living in suburban areas. All participants had completed high school and many had completed one year of college. Nearly all participants were supportive of California's new law allowing pharmacist prescribing of contraception. Thematic analyses revealed that while participants were satisfied with traditional service providers and valued those relationships, they appreciated the benefit of increased access and convenience of going directly to a pharmacy. Participants expected increased access to contraception in pharmacies would lead to both personal and societal benefits. They expressed concerns regarding parental involvement, as well as confidentiality in the pharmacy environment and with insurance disclosures. Conclusion Older teens in California are very supportive of pharmacies and pharmacists as direct access points for contraception, but confidentiality concerns were noted. Policy makers and pharmacies can incorporate study findings when designing policies, services, and physical pharmacy spaces to better serve teens. Further research is warranted after pharmacies implement this new service to assess teen utilization and satisfaction as well as outcomes. Implication statement Several states recently passed legislation enabling pharmacists to prescribe contraception and other states are considering similar legislation. Older teens are interested in this additional method of contraceptive access and understanding their perspectives can help guide implementation by states and in individual pharmacies.
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    Pharmacist Outlooks on Prescribing Hormonal Contraception Following Statewide Scope of Practice Expansion
    (MDPI, 2019-07-18) Rafie, Sally; Richards, Emily; Rafie, Samantha; Landau, Sharon Cohen; Wilkinson, Tracey A.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    In an effort to increase access to contraception, the pharmacist scope of practice is being expanded to allow prescribing. While this is being accomplished in the United States by a variety of models, legislation that allows pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception under a statewide protocol is the most common. This study was designed to explore the outlooks of pharmacists regarding prescribing contraception in the period following the first state legislation and prior to statewide protocol development and availability. A qualitative study of community pharmacists in California using structured phone interviews explored their opinions regarding access to contraception in pharmacies and outlooks regarding prescribing. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach to identify themes. Among the thirty participants, the majority worked in a chain pharmacy. Themes were identified in five overarching domains: Pharmacist barriers, system barriers, patient issues, safety concerns, and pharmacist role. Most were unfamiliar with the new law, yet were interested in expanding access for patient benefit despite foreseeing challenges with implementing the service in community pharmacies. Barriers will need to be addressed and requisite training disseminated widely to facilitate successful implementation and thus improve access on a broad scale. Further research following protocol implementation is needed to understand service implementation, as well as patient utilization and satisfaction.