Pilot evaluation of a pharmacist-led technical assistance program to address buprenorphine dispensing in community pharmacies
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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

A Computerized Functional Skills Assessment and Training Program Targeting Technology Based Everyday Functional Skills
Published on: February 13, 2020
Grace Marley1,2, Trish Mashburn1, Paul Alebrande1
1University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, 301 Pharmacy Lane, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Background:
Pharmacy-based barriers, including stigma and prescriber communication difficulties, can limit patient access to buprenorphine.
Objective:
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of a pharmacist-led technical assistance (TA) program in addition to an online training to support buprenorphine dispensing in community pharmacies.
Methods:
A mixed-methods pilot study was conducted between February and November 2025 with five North Carolina community pharmacists. Participants completed an online training, approximately six meetings with a pharmacist TA, and two standardized patient interactions (one interaction before and after TA was complete). TAs tracked their time, and semi-structured interviews assessed feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness.
Results:
Pharmacists found the TA sessions acceptable and useful because they addressed site-specific needs, including communication with staff, patients, and prescribers; wholesaler thresholds; red flags; telehealth prescribing concerns; and filling bridge scripts. Pharmacists particularly valued learning from a peer with dispensing experience. Regarding feasibility, pharmacists emphasized the importance of an in-person visit followed by 13-22-min virtual follow-up sessions and recommended expanding the program to additional staff. Communication with SPs improved after receiving TA, though stigmatizing language persisted.
Conclusion:
A pharmacist-led TA model was feasible, acceptable, and useful for addressing practice barriers to buprenorphine dispensing.
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