Pharmacist utilization of prescription opioid misuse interventions: Acceptability among pharmacists and patients

Pharmacists have played an increasingly critical role in combatting the epidemic of prescription opioid misuse and abuse, due in large part to their accessibility and their function as gatekeepers to prescription medication. Throughout the United States, pharmacists have crafted interventions designed to prevent, identify, and manage opioid misuse and abuse. In order to be effective, however, both patients and pharmacists must comply with interventions. To ensure compliance with proposed pharmacy-based interventions, both patients and pharmacists must recognize patient education, screening and counseling for substance misuse and abuse as acceptable components of pharmacy practice.

This study evaluates pharmacist and patient acceptance of pharmacy-based opioid interventions, and identifies interventions both groups find acceptable.

Using two surveys simultaneously administered to Ohio Pharmacists and patients in treatment for substance use disorders, this study compares pharmacist and patient acceptance of five (5) pharmacy-based opioid misuse interventions through the use of Cohen's Kappa using the Altman Benchmark Scale.

Through this analysis, we found that both pharmacists and patients view the use of patient counseling and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program-based validation of prescriptions as acceptable prescription misuse interventions. While patients expressed interest in Naloxone-based interventions, many pharmacists were opposed to Naloxone-based interventions.

Both pharmacists and patients appear to be far more comfortable with the use of counseling and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program-based validation of prescriptions compared to interventions that involve referral to treatment resources or distribution of Naloxone.