Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32554399›Full record

ArticleBMJ sexual & reproductive health2021

Emergency contraception from the pharmacy 20 years on: a mystery shopper study.

Anna Glasier, Paula Baraitser, Lisa McDaid, John Norrie, Andrew Radley, Judith M Stephenson, Claire Battison, Richard Gilson, Sharon Cameron, Trial Steering Committee and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ sexual & reproductive health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.

Anna GlasierObstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Paula BaraitserDepartment of Sexual Health, King's College London Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, London, UK.
Lisa McDaidMRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
John NorrieEdinburgh Clinical Trials Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Andrew RadleyDirectorate of Public Health, NHS Tayside, Dundee, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4772-2388
Judith M StephensonElizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK.
Claire BattisonEdinburgh Clinical Trials Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Richard GilsonInstitute for Global Health, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
Sharon CameronObstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK sharon.cameron@ed.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-1168-2276
Trial Steering Committee
Data Monitoring Committee
Trial steering committee
University of Edinburgh · GBBeijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital · CNDiabetes Australia · AUKing's College London · GBNHS Lothian · GBThe University of Queensland · AUUniversity College Hospital · GBUniversity College London · GB

Funding

Chief Scientist Office SPHSU11Chief Scientist Office SPHSU18Department of Health 15/113/01Medical Research Council MC_UU_00022/3Medical Research Council MC_UU_12017/11Medical Research Council MC_UU_12017/2
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmergency contraception (EC) was approved in the UK as a pharmacy medicine for purchase without prescription in 2001. Twenty years later we conducted a study to characterise routine practice pharmacy provision of EC. STUDY

designMystery shopper study of 30 pharmacies in Edinburgh, Dundee and London participating in a clinical trial of contraception after EC.

methodsMystery shoppers, aged ≥16 years, followed a standard scenario requesting EC. After the pharmacy visit, they completed a proforma recording the duration of the consultation, where it took place, and whether advice was given to them about the importance of ongoing contraception after EC.

resultsFifty-five mystery shopper visits were conducted. The median reported duration of the consultation with the pharmacist was 6 (range 1-18) min. Consultations took place in a private room in 34 cases (62%) and at the shop counter in the remainder. In 27 cases (49%) women received advice about ongoing contraception. Eleven women (20%) left the pharmacy without EC due to lack of supplies or of a trained pharmacist. Most women were generally positive about the consultation.

conclusionsWhile availability of EC from UK pharmacies has undoubtedly improved access, the necessity to have a consultation, however helpful, with a pharmacist introduces delays and around one in five of our mystery shoppers left without getting EC. Consultations in private are not always possible and little advice is given about ongoing contraception. It is time to make EC available without a pharmacy consultation.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultContraception, PostcoitalFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMiddle AgedPharmaciesUnited Kingdomcontraceptive agents, femalecontraceptives, postcoitalpharmaceutical servicessurveys and questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID32554399
PMCPMC7815628
OpenAlexW3036039943

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.