Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent pregnancy for women following unprotected sex or burst condoms etc. Most women who use EC in the UK go to a pharmacy for it. It is really important that women start a regular method of contraception after EC if they don鈥檛 want to become pregnant. However, most pharmacies cannot usually provide contraception (except condoms) without a prescription. This means that to start regular contraception (e.g. implant, pill etc) women must go to a GP or family planning clinic. Getting an appointment can take time and some women fall pregnant during this time.
BRIDGE-IT, funded by the NIHR HTA, was a cluster randomised crossover trial involving pharmacies in 3 UK regions - London (South and Central), Lothian and Tayside recruiting women aged 16 and over presenting for EC. In the intervention group, women received a 3 month supply of the progesterone only pill plus a rapid access card to a participating sexual and reproductive health clinic.聽 In the control group, pharmacists advised women to attend their usual contraceptive provider.聽 The primary outcome was use of effective contraception at 4 months.聽
636 women were recruited into the study, and 4 month follow-up data were available for 406 of these.聽 At 4 months, the proportion of women using effective contraception was higher in the intervention group (mean 58路4%, 48路6鈥�68路2), than in the control group (mean 40路5%, 29路7鈥�51路3 [adjusted for recruitment period, treatment group, and centre]; p=0路011). No serious adverse events occurred.聽 The study concluded that the provision of a supply of the progestogen-only pill with emergency contraception from a community pharmacist, along with an invitation to a sexual and reproductive health clinic, results in a clinically meaningful increase in subsequent use of effective contraception.
The BRIDGE-IT Trial was led by Dr Sharon Cameron based at the University of Edinburgh.
Contacts
- CHaRT email; chart@abdn.ac.uk
Status
CompletedPublications
Cameron ST, Baraitser P, Glasier A et al. Pragmatic cluster randomised cohort cross-over trial to determine the effectiveness of bridging from emergency to regular contraception: the Bridge-It study protocol.聽 BMJ Open 2019;9:e029978. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029978
Cameron ST, Glasier A, McDaid L et al.聽 Use of effective contraception following provision of the progestogen-only pill for women presenting to community pharmacies for emergency contraception (Bridge-It): a pragmatic cluster-randomised crossover trial.聽 Lancet 2020; 396: 1585鈥�94.
Cameron ST,聽Glasier A,聽McDaid L,聽Radley A,聽Patterson S,聽Baraitser P,聽et al.聽Provision of the progestogen-only pill by community pharmacies as bridging contraception for women receiving emergency contraception: the Bridge-it RCT.聽Health Technol Assess聽2021;25(27)聽 https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hta/hta25270/#/abstract