Knowledge, Attitude, and Dispensing Practice of Emergency Contraceptive Pills among Community Pharmacists: A Cross-sectional Survey

Background: The improper or incorrect usage of birth control results in unintended pregnancy. In India, 78% of pregnancies are accidental, with unwanted pregnancies accounting for about 25% of all pregnancies. The family, society, and country may all be financially impacted by such pregnancies. Community pharmacists must have a good attitude and sufficient knowledge of emergency contraception pills (ECPs) in order for women to receive them in a timely manner and as a result, have fewer unintended pregnancies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and, practices of community pharmacy practitioners towards ECPs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on retail pharmacies located in Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai. A standardized questionnaire was used in 164 community pharmacies to interview about CPPs using a convenience sampling technique. The survey evaluated the CPP's dispensing procedures, knowledge, attitude, and demographic profile. Data analysis was carried out by using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: A total of 164 registered pharmacists participated in the study, which included 76.1 % (n=124) males and 23.9% (n=39) females. Among all the participants, 73.0% of them had a diploma in pharmacy (D Pharm) education, and half of the study participants had a working experience between 1-5 years. In this study, 56.64 %, 27.6%, and 16% of participants had average knowledge, sound knowledge, and poor knowledge, respectively. Results showed that 90.2% (147) of pharmacists came under the positive attitude category, 5.5% of pharmacists had a negative attitude, and 4.3% had a neutral attitude. A moderate positive linear relationship (0.401) existed between the knowledge and attitude of the pharmacist in this study. Attitude and dispensing of emergency OC as OTC to people older than 18 years old and less than 18 years old showed a moderate negative linear relationship. After adjusting the possible confounder variables, age and years of experience significantly affected the knowledge, attitude, and practice of EC. Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study has shown that there is generally a lack of knowledge and poor attitude toward emergency contraceptive medicines among community pharmacists. Therefore, it is recommended that improving pharmacist's knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) through proper training and counseling about EC can enhance the appropriate use of drugs.