Practices of community pharmacists toward adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services: A cross-sectional study in Ghana.

Abstract

Background: Adolescents face significant barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS), despite being a critical population group with unique healthcare needs. As accessible healthcare providers, community pharmacists can play an essential role in delivering adolescent-friendly SRHS (AFSRHS). Evidence on their actual practices in this area, however, especially in Ghana, remains limited. This study assessed the practices of community pharmacists toward adolescent-friendly SRHS and explored factors influencing their practices in four regions of Ghana. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 357 licensed community pharmacists in the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions of Ghana. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered electronic questionnaire between January and March 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, while logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with good practices related to AFSRHS. Results: Out of 357 pharmacists approached, 192 participated, yielding a response rate of 54%. The proportion of pharmacists demonstrating good practices related to AFSRHS was 45.3% (95% CI: 38.1%-52.6%). Although a majority (52.1%) reported treating adolescents with respect and confidentiality, only 47.4% strongly agreed that their facilities maintained adequate stocks of contraceptives and reproductive health commodities. Notably, 46.4% of pharmacists lacked referral formats for adolescents needing specialized care, and 34.4% admitted to never receiving post-graduate training on adolescent SRHS. Logistic regression analysis revealed no statistically significant association between pharmacists' practices and socio-demographic or professional factors (p > 0.05). Conclusions: There are gaps in the provision of adolescent-friendly SRHS by community pharmacists, particularly regarding training, referral systems, and community engagement. Strengthening the role of pharmacists in adolescent SRHS will require targeted capacity-building interventions and policy integration.