Exploring the landscape of pharmacist-led hormonal contraceptive counseling by Indiana pharmacists

Indiana pharmacists were authorized to prescribe birth control in 2023. An over-the-counter birth control pill was approved in 2024. It is imperative to understand and address pharmacist comfort when counseling on these medications. The purpose of this research project is to understand pharmacist confidence in counseling on hormonal birth control and identify barriers to hormonal contraceptive counseling in pharmacies in Indiana. An 18-question survey was sent to all members of the Indiana Pharmacist Association listserv. Pharmacists were invited to participate in the survey. This study was approved by the Butler University Institutional Review Board. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Twenty-two pharmacists responded to this survey; 81.8% were women and 68.1% practiced in a community pharmacy setting. The average time since graduation was 16.6 years. Over two-thirds (68.2%) of pharmacists surveyed currently counsel. Of those who currently counsel, the majority (60%) counsel at least once a month. When all participants were asked, 77.3% responded that they felt very confident or confident counseling on the correct form of birth control. Only 45.5% felt very confident or confident counseling on over-the-counter birth control. The most common barrier to counseling was time constraints, listed by 50% of people. The majority of pharmacists in this study feel confident counseling on birth control. However, additional resources may need to be provided for over-the-counter birth control.