Knowledge and practice of pharmacists regarding medication abortion

Even if all girls and women have access to effective contraception, circumstances would still arise in which a pregnancy is or becomes unwanted and the woman in question will feel the need to end it in a safe way. So expanding access to safe abortion is a simple and cost-efficient intervention that can prevent pregnancy-related deaths. One of the methods to do this is medication Abortion. Medication abortion is an option for women seeking abortion that involves the administration of tablets which initiate uterine contractions that lead to natural miscarriage without surgery. According to Ethiopian revised technical guideline of safe abortion pharmacists are expected to dispense medication abortion drugs with prescription and should be trained to give the service. If the service does not conform to minimal medical standards mentioned above the abortion is, strictly speaking, unsafe. Even if this is the case many women prefer to go to private pharmacies to get the service without prescription and without visiting hospitals or clinics first. On this study mystery clients were used to see if the pharmacist’s had the knowledge and practice to provide the service safely.