Community pharmacist-provided opioid intervention frequencies and barriers.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Public Health
• Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Background:

• Community pharmacists are vital for opioid use disorder (OUD) interventions but face significant barriers.
• Understanding intervention frequency and barrier impact is key to improving OUD care access in pharmacies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the frequency of nine opioid interventions in community pharmacy settings.
• To assess pharmacists' perceptions of the impact of 15 barriers on providing these interventions.

Main Methods:

• A multi-state, cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists was conducted.
• The survey evaluated prevention and treatment interventions and barriers related to confidence, environment, and interactions.
• Data were collected via telephone from December 2021 to March 2022.

Main Results:

• Only 12.3% of contacted pharmacists completed the survey.
• All opioid interventions, especially screening and referral, were underutilized.
• Key barriers included patient refusal, low reimbursement, staffing shortages, and negative patient interactions.

Conclusions:

• Resolving work environment barriers is essential for pharmacists to routinely offer opioid interventions.
• Enhancing Doctor of Pharmacy curricula and continuing education is needed to better prepare pharmacists for opioid harm reduction.