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International Journal of Public Health
Published in: International Journal of Public Health 5/2014

01-10-2014 | Original Article

Could community pharmacies help to improve youth health? Service availability and views of pharmacy personnel in New Zealand

Authors: Emma Horsfield, Fiona Kelly, Janie Sheridan, Joanna Stewart, Terryann Clark

Published in: International Journal of Public Health | Issue 5/2014

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Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the availability of youth-relevant community pharmacy services in New Zealand (NZ), and the opinions of pharmacy personnel on the appropriateness of these services for young people aged 12–24.

Methods

Pharmacist and pharmacy support staff (PSS) questionnaires were developed collaboratively with a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and were mailed to 500 randomly selected community pharmacies in NZ.

Results

Response rates for questionnaires were 50.5 % for pharmacists and 37.0 % for PSS. The majority of community pharmacies in NZ offer public health services relevant to youth health including emergency contraception, condoms, smoking cessation, weight management and harm reduction services for drug use. Not all pharmacy personnel believed these services are appropriate for youth, particularly for those aged 16 or under. PSS appeared less likely than pharmacists to feel services were appropriate.

Conclusions

Community pharmacies are offering an increasing range of youth-relevant health services, and may, therefore, be able to improve youth healthcare access. More research is required to investigate the barriers to young people accessing services from pharmacies, and also the challenges for pharmacy personnel in providing services to this age group.
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Metadata
Title
Could community pharmacies help to improve youth health? Service availability and views of pharmacy personnel in New Zealand
Authors
Emma Horsfield
Fiona Kelly
Janie Sheridan
Joanna Stewart
Terryann Clark
Publication date
01-10-2014
Publisher
Springer Basel
Published in
International Journal of Public Health / Issue 5/2014
Print ISSN: 1661-8556
Electronic ISSN: 1661-8564
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-014-0593-3

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