Hormonal contraception without a prescription: opinions of pharmacists, general practitioners and gynaecologists in Flanders, Belgium

Objective: The accessibility of contraceptives varies greatly from country to country. Because unintended pregnancies have a considerable impact, programmes have been initiated in some countries to make certain contraceptives available without a prescription. We therefore investigated whether or not Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, is ready for such an initiative.Method: We used a mixed-methods approach with a mainly qualitative methodology. The opinions of pharmacists, general practitioners (GPs) and gynaecologists, the three types of health care provider most closely involved in the prescription and delivery of contraception, were examined.Results: A majority of pharmacists supported the idea. Moreover, a large majority occasionally dispensed hormonal contraception without a prescription. Pharmacists expected negative responses from physicians. Among GPs and gynaecologists, a small majority supported the idea conditionally. A minority either fully supported the idea or found it completely unacceptable.Conclusion: Economic aspects were clearly important in forming an opinion on the topic, although medical arguments were often used when they happened to point in the same direction. Flemish pharmacists were willing to train for and implement a new service that would provide contraceptives without a prescription. The majority of GPs and gynaecologists expressed reservations about such a service and doubted that it would reduce unintended pregnancies. If this service were to be implemented, caution would be needed to avoid giving contraceptive users conflicting information.