Switzerland: a qualitative study of young women experiences obtaining EC in pharmacies
November 2020. Last April, Unisanté published “Remise de la contraception d’urgence en pharmacie : une étude qualitative sur l’expérience des clientes”, the report of a q
ualitative research exploring the opinions and perceptions of young
women who obtained EC in community pharmacies in Switzerland.
Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted between April and August 2019 with 30 women ages 18 and younger, who had sought EC in pharmacies in the canton of Vaud between 2014 and 2019. Issues asked included: reasons for choosing to go to a pharmacy; advantages and disadvantages; reception at the pharmacy counter; questions asked; judgments; actual in-take of the pill; price; support; contraception and prevention.
In short, the study concludes that community pharmacies are very convenient points for EC delivery. They are highly appreciated because they provide great accessibility, short waiting time, and extended hours. However, the report points at several avenues for improvement, to ensure that no barriers for young women arise in pharmacies:
- improving the information and knowledge of young women about the procedure for dispensing EC in pharmacies;
- improving and systematizing the information that is asked during the mandatory counseling;
- reducing embarrassment and prevent judgemental attitudes;
- raising awareness among young men;
- reconsidering the price of EC;
- integrating pharmacists in the reflection around the delivery of EC in pharmacies.
The full document can be downloaded here and directly from our website, here.
