Table 2.
Pharmacy contraception services and pharmacist prescribing practices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic reported by pharmacists who responded to an online survey
| Service | September 2019-February 2020 N = 126 (%) | March 2020-August 2020 N = 126 (%) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contraception distribution options | |||
| Curbside | 15 (12) | 65 (52) | < 0.001b |
| Drive-through | 17 (13) | 23 (18) | 0.11 |
| Delivery | 51 (40) | 75 (60) | < 0.001b |
| Mailing | 52 (41) | 89 (71) | < 0.001b |
| Other method of contactless pick-upc | 3 (2) | 3 (2) | > 0.99 |
| Communication methods for prescription refills | |||
| 61 (48) | 62 (49) | > 0.99 | |
| Text message | 75 (60) | 79 (63) | 0.22 |
| Phone | 106 (84) | 106 (84) | > 0.99 |
| Mobile application | 76 (60) | 78 (62) | 0.48 |
| Pharmacist prescribing of contraception | n = 53 (%) | n = 53 (%) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methods offered to prescribe | |||
| Progestin only pill | 27 (51) | 28 (53) | > 0.99 |
| Combination pill | 48 (91) | 48 (91) | > 0.99 |
| Patch | 26 (49) | 25 (47) | > 0.99 |
| Ringd | 13 (59) | 12 (55) | > 0.99 |
| Injectiond | 9 (41) | 8 (36) | > 0.99 |
| Emergency contraception tabletd | 13 (59) | 12 (55) | > 0.99 |
| Monthly volume of visits | |||
| 0 visits | 9 (17) | 6 (11) | 0.76e |
| 1–5 visits | 41 (77) | 41 (77) | |
| ≥6 visits | 3 (6) | 4 (8) |
Abbreviation used: COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.
a
P value calculated using McNemar test.
b
Statistically significant P value, significance defined as P 0.05.
c
Other methods of contactless pick up included in-person outside of pharmacy with table at door with 6 feet distance and mailbox style drop-off.
d
Ring, injection, and emergency contraception tablet are not included in Colorado’s protocol and are included in California’s protocol. The denominator for these values is 22, reflecting California pharmacists only.
e
P value calculated using Fisher exact test.