Prenatal Care and Pharmacy: Examining Prenatal Vitamin Recommendations Given by Community Pharmacists

Although many pharmacists recommended an over-the-counter (OTC) prenatal vitamin for pregnant patients, researchers suggest they consider the broad range of vitamins on the market to make a clear recommendation.  

“As pharmacists assume a larger role in prenatal and preconception care, providing an evidence-based recommendation for a prenatal vitamin is essential,” the authors explained.  

In order to identify prenatal vitamin recommendations given by community pharmacists and compare the findings with national and international standards, as well as compare responses between the type of pharmacy, researchers used a “secret-shopper.”  

“A female student pharmacist posing as a patient anonymously interviewed 60 community pharmacists distributed across 5 different regions of Michigan through telephone to determine prenatal vitamin recommendations for preconception use,” they explained.  

According to the findings, 97% of the pharmacists interviewed recommended a prenatal vitamin, and 81% of those recommended an OTC prenatal vitamin. Furthermore, 33% of the pharmacists provided a specific brand name.  

Of the recommended vitamins, folic acid was the most common ingredient that pharmacists identified followed by docosahexaenoic acid and iron.

The researchers reported that there was no difference among pharmacist responses across type of pharmacy (chain, grocery store chain, or independent).  

“Most of the community pharmacists recommended an OTC prenatal vitamin with an adequate amount of folic acid,” the authors concluded. “Considering the broad range of prenatal vitamins on the market, a clear recommendation from a pharmacist about a specific prenatal vitamin that contains adequate nutrients is paramount.”  

“Expanding the knowledge and understanding of key prenatal vitamin ingredients and availability may strengthen future recommendations.”

Reference:

Ottney A, Lebeau L. A "secret shopper" survey of community pharmacist prenatal vitamin recommendations [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jul 30]. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2021;S1544-3191(21)00316-2. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2021.07.015