Crucial link between patient and pharmacist
Re Privacy and the ‘ Plan B’ pill Dec. 2. Did Anne Rochon Ford, co- ordinator of Women and Health Protection, even do her research prior to speaking on behalf of females seeking “Plan B”? According to Ford, before dispensing the “ morning- after pill” pharmacists are asking “ highly personal, interrogative questions, and it’s disturbing.” It would seem to me the only “ disturbing” concept presented by Ford is her vision of “ Plan B” being available to anyone, anywhere, including on the shelves of your local grocery store. The purpose of the decision to move “ Plan B” behind the counter was to make it more accessible while still maintaining a certain level of care from a health- care professional. “ Plan B” is a drug, and with that it presents side effects as well as social implications. The questions asked by pharmacists are private, health- related, and hardly “ interrogative.” They have been put in place to ensure that “ Plan B” is appropriate to the woman’s unique situation. It is no secret that many females seeking “ Plan B” are adolescents. Often they have been misinformed and are confused as they engage in intercourse for their first times. How appropriate is it to send that girl searching through the shelves at 7- Eleven, without at the very least some sort of interaction with a health-care professional?
Trial studies have brought to light scenarios in which female patients, of all ages, entered a pharmacy with the intentions of simply purchasing “Plan B.” However, through standard private questions, it was determined by the pharmacist that “ Plan B” was not appropriate for the patient.
In the end, the patient ended up saving money, but more importantly received invaluable counselling on alternative contraception choices, practising safe sex and referrals to other health- care professionals.
I believe it would be downright foolish to abandon the potential benefits of such interactions. In our world of unwanted pregnancies and growing numbers of sexually-transmitted infections, I strongly urge Women and Health Protection to consider the potential consequences of breaking the crucial link between patient and healthcare practitioner. Andrew Tolmie, pharmacy student, University of Toronto