A new online learning course for pharmacists and pharmacy staff has been launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO) to support wider access to contraception, particularly in low-resource settings. The product was released on World Pharmacists' Day.
According to the latest statistics, among 1.9 billion women of reproductive age (15–49 years), 1.1 billion have a need for family planning; of these, 874 million are using modern methods, and 164 million have an unmet need for contraception.
Pharmacies play an important role in helping people manage their sexual health and family planning needs. Pharmacies are typically easily accessible within communities, with pharmacy workers providing critical information that helps people take informed decisions about their health.
Through a mix of theory, videos, case studies and practice exercises, participants in the course, titled Counselling and prescribing contraception in pharmacies, learn how to provide best-practice counselling to clients seeking contraception; about different contraceptive methods including male and female condoms, emergency contraception and self-injectable contraception; how to prescribe the most appropriate method depending on a client's individual situation and preferences, and about follow-up care.
The content of the course is based on Family Planning – A Global handbook for providers by WHO/USAID. It also draws from the conceptual framework for self-care interventions. Within each module there is a focus on good communication, professional conduct and people-centredness, which are all core components of self-care service provision.
On successful completion of all six modules, participants are awarded a WHO Academy Award of Completion. Although aimed at pharmacists and those working in pharmacies and drug stores, anyone with an interest in the topic can also sign up to expand their knowledge and understanding.
The course has been developed by WHO's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research Department/the UN Special Programme of Research, Development and Training on Human Reproduction (HRP) in collaboration with the WHO Academy.
For many people, a pharmacist is their first port of call when wanting to discuss their health needs.
"For many people, a pharmacist is their first port of call when wanting to discuss their health needs," said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO/HRP. "This makes them a powerful resource that will remain underutilised without building their skills and confidence to provide contraception and help address unmet need in their communities. This new course will strengthen the capacity of millions of health workers across the world to provide useful information to their communities and help expand contraceptive access."
This early release version of the course is free of charge and self-paced. It is currently available in English, and Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish versions will be available in early 2025.
