Developing Community Pharmacist Prescribing Models to Expand Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act removed the separate registration requirement to prescribe scheduled medications for maintenance or detoxification treatment, creating an opportunity to utilize community pharmacists' expertise and accessibility to expand access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). This study aimed to develop pharmacist prescribing models of care within community pharmacies.

Data were collected via interviews with community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, treatment providers, and people with lived experience in Washington State from January to May 2024. Interviews were analyzed using a rapid content analysis approach guided by the Practice, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model and existing evidence-based models of care for MOUD in primary care settings. The research team utilized the themes to develop models of care with input from an interdisciplinary advisory panel.

Thirty-one interviews were conducted with 9 community pharmacy staff, 11 treatment providers, and 11 people with lived experience. In total, 21 themes were identified, including 8 themes regarding intervention characteristics, 5 regarding recipients, 5 regarding implementation and sustainability infrastructure, and 3 regarding external environment. Within intervention characteristics, 3 themes were identified regarding medication therapy, 3 regarding education, 1 regarding coordination of care, and 1 regarding psychosocial services. Two models of care were developed: one for MOUD initiation and another for maintenance or ongoing treatment.

This study resulted in the development of models of care for MOUD initiation and maintenance at community pharmacies. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these models of care.