The Bridge-it -Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A randomised controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of bridging from emergency to regular contraception
IRAS ID
208918
Contact name
Sharon Cameron
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Lothian
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN70616901
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Emergency contraception (EC) is a tablet that can prevent pregnancy following
unprotected sex. Most women in the UK go to a pharmacy for EC. It is important to start a regular method of contraception after EC , but most pharmacies cannot provide this without a prescription. This means that women must then go to a GP or sexual and reproductive health clinic (SRH) and some fall pregnant during this time. The ‘Bridge -it’ study is designed to tell us whether pharmacists should give a supply of the progestogen only pill (POP) along with EC to women as temporary contraception until they can get to a clinic. The POP is very safe with no serious risks. We have previously undertaken a smaller similar study that showed that women who got the POP were likely to use it and more likely to be using contraception 6 weeks later than those who just got EC.
‘Bridge-it’ will take place in several parts of the UK. Women 16 and over who attend a participating pharmacy for EC will be invited to participate. During the study, some pharmacies will give EC as usual, but others will also give POP with the offer of rapid access to a SRH clinic. Women in the study will be surveyed at 4 and 12 months about contraceptive use and any pregnancies they may have had. For women who got the POP we will ask if they used it and/or attended the SRH. Since we want to know if the POP prevents unintended pregnancies, we will check how many women had an abortion within one year. This involves checking existing NHS databases with women’s permission. We will also interview women, pharmacists and SRH staff about how providing the POP / rapid access might work in everyday practice.REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
17/SS/0080
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion