Knowledge, attitudes and practices of pharmacists concerning prescription drug abuse

This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and professional practices of pharmacists regarding addiction and patient use of controlled medications. This research project explored the relationship between pharmacy education, perceived and actual knowledge, and professional interactions as it pertains to problems surrounding dependency and addiction. A questionnaire of 25 items was administered at three separate continuing education programs in Florida in 2005. A total of 484 surveys were completed. Pharmacists (67.5%) reported participating in two hours or less of addiction/substance abuse education in pharmacy school. Of particular concern was that 29.2% reported having received no addiction education. Pharmacists who had greater amounts of addiction-specific education had a higher likelihood of correctly answering questions relating to the science of addiction and substance abuse counseling. In addition, pharmacists who reported more education counseled patients more frequently and felt more confident about counseling. A majority of respondents (53.7%) reported that they had never referred a patient to drug treatment in their career. These findings suggest that the neurobiological basis for addictive diseases, standards of care, and pain management guidelines were not widely understood by the sample. More research should be undertaken to determine the educational needs of practicing pharmacists to enable them to assume a leadership role in detecting, preventing, and treating prescription drug abuse.