Open Collections

Abstract

In early 2023, the British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced two policies aimed at improving contraception access. The first policy made most prescription contraception methods free for BC residents with BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage. The second policy expanded pharmacists’ scope of practice to include independent assessment and prescribing for all prescription contraceptive options. I sought to conduct a qualitative analysis investigating youths’ experiences, attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about the policies. My specific questions were: 1) What are youths’ experiences accessing contraception since these two policies were implemented? 2) What methods of prescription contraception are youth choosing and why since the implementation of no-cost contraception? 3) What factors support or impede contraception access for BC youth through pharmacies? Two frameworks guided my qualitative inquiry: Constructivist Grounded Theory and Levesque’s Patient-centred Access to Healthcare framework. Youth research assistants co-designed the recruitment materials and interview guide, led recruitment using a community-based approach, and conducted interviews with youth who participated in the study. Following an integrated knowledge translation approach, decision makers in the BC Ministry of Health co-developed the research questions and met with our team bi-monthly during the course of the project to discuss our research-in-progress and emerging results. We completed and analyzed interviews with youth in BC, before and after the policies took effect. My analysis of 29 interviews resulted in five key themes: 1) ‘I don’t know much about it’, 2) ‘I don’t have to pay for it, which is a relief’, 3) ‘Feels like a step in the right direction’, 4) ‘I think there’s still limitations I’ve brought up around pharmacists’, and 5) ‘There’s no privacy in a pharmacy’. This youth-centred, evidence-informed data advances understanding of how these policies have affected youth access to contraception and where enhancements are needed to ensure equitable access to contraception. Findings may help guide the rollout of universal contraception coverage as provinces/territories work with the federal government to implement free contraception nationwide.