Changing student attitudes and perceptions toward opioid use disorder

With the opioid epidemic creating a group of patients with unique health care needs, pharmacists have an opportunity to be a good resource for patients recovering from opioid use disorder (OUD). To accomplish this, it is essential that pharmacists are knowledgeable and unbiased toward this patient population.

Because the curriculum in place to obtain a PharmD at Drake University does not include in-depth information on substance use disorders, study investigators offered students an opportunity to receive more intensive education. Faculty members at Drake University provided didactic and panel discussion presentations on topics such as opioid pharmacology, OUD, and treatment options. The students were assessed for their perception of knowledge and stigma before and after the summit by using a 5-point Likert scale to measure their attitudes toward 10 statements.

Total knowledge scores showed a significant change of 3.1, indicating an increase in perceived understanding of materials presented (P < .0001). Total stigma scores also changed by 1.4, illustrating a statistically significant decrease in negative perceptions (P = .0198).

By providing more in-depth education, the summit showed that increasing pharmacy student knowledge about OUD and its treatment may decrease associated stigma.