Emergency Contraceptives: Knowledge, attitudes, & practices among pharmacy workers in Peru

BACKGROUND: Peru has among the highest rates of unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal mortality in Latin America. Approximately 350,000 clandestine abortions take place each year in Peru where abortion is illegal and safe abortions are uncommon. Emergency contraceptives (EC) have the potential to reduce the number of pregnancies. Pharmacy workers are well-positioned to educate customers about EC, as it is very common in Peru for customers to consult pharmacists about family planning products.

METHODS: A self-administered baseline survey was administered to contraceptive training attendees in 10 Peruvian cities to gather information on their: 1) knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to EC and general contraceptives, and 2) perceived training needs.

RESULTS: A total of 1995 training attendees completed the survey. Ninety-one percent these pharmacy workers reported having customers ask about EC in the past 3 months. Over 50% did not know that EC contain the same hormones as regular contraceptive pills and 87% did not know that EC must be taken within 72-hours after intercourse. Eighty-two percent agreed that EC would play an important role in preventing unplanned pregnancies and abortions and 83% would recommend EC use for their customers.

CONCLUSION: The majority of respondents reported a high customer demand for EC and a willingness to dispense EC, yet lacked important knowledge about EC's use, side effects, and ingredients. Thus, we recommend that additional EC training should be produced for and provided to pharmacy workers in Peru through public and private sector collaborations.