Community pharmacist counseling in early pregnancy—Results from the SafeStart feasibility study

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists are available to counsel women in early pregnancy, but no studies have assessed the feasibility of such a service. OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of a pharmacist consultation in early pregnancy and to inform the design of a definitive trial. SETTING: Six community pharmacies in Norway from Oct. to Dec. 2017. METHOD: We evaluated recruitment approaches and an automatic data preprocessing system (ADPS) to enroll, assign participants, and distribute questionnaires. Women (≥18 years) in early pregnancy were eligible for inclusion. Participants were assigned to a pharmacist consultation (intervention group) or standard care (control group). The intervention aimed to address each woman’s concerns and needs regarding medications and ailments in pregnancy, and was documented on a standard form. The women’s acceptability of the intervention was measured by a questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Appropriate recruitment approaches, workflow of the ADPS, and women’s acceptability of the intervention. RESULTS: Of the 35 participants recruited, 19 were recruited through Facebook. The ADPS worked well. Treatment of nausea and vomiting (NVP) (10/11) and general information about medications (8/11) were frequently discussed during the consultations (n = 11). The women reported high satisfaction with the consultation. Having the option of telephone and follow-up consultations was important to the women. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to provide community pharmacist consultations in early pregnancy. In a definitive study, the consultations should focus on NVP and general medication use and further explore social media as a recruiting tool. Both in-pharmacy and telephone consultations should be offered to deliver the intervention.