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The Practitioner 2010 – 254 (1730): 12

Pharmacists selective when offering chlamydia screening with emergency contraception

22 Jun 2010Registered users

Pharmacists participating in a scheme to offer chlamydia screening to young women requesting emergency contraception (EC), did not offer it comprehensively. They were less likely to offer testing to women who were married, in a long-term relationship or who had recently been tested. 'The pharmacists surveyed here undertook specific training in sexual health and chlamydia screening in their own time and offered the service free of charge to their customers and for this they are to be commended.However, that screening was offered preferentially implies that at times they were acting expediently and at others were making value judgements. The tendency to decline to offer screening to girls under 16 is an opportunity missed. It could be argued that some screening is better than none but it does highlight the need for proper training and adequate resources if inroads into chlamydia infection are to be realised.'

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