Alternatives to dental opioid prescribing after tooth extraction (ADOPT): protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Dentists and oral surgeons are leading prescribers of opioids to adolescents and young adults (AYA), who are at high risk for developing problematic opioid use after an initial exposure. Most opioids are prescribed after tooth extraction, but non-opioid analgesics provide similar analgesia and are recommended by multiple professional organizations. METHODS: This multi-site stepped wedge cluster-randomized trial will assess whether a multicomponent behavioral intervention can influence opioid prescribing behavior among dentists and oral surgeons compared to usual practice. Across up to 12 clinical practices (clusters), up to 33 dentists/oral surgeons (provider participants) who perform tooth extractions for individuals 12-25 years old will be enrolled. After enrollment, all provider participants will receive the intervention at a time based on the sequence to which their cluster is randomized. The intervention consists of prescriber education via academic detailing plus provision of standardized patient post-extraction instructions and blister packs of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Provider participants will dispense the blister packs and distribute the patient instructions at their discretion to AYA undergoing tooth extraction, with or without additional analgesics. The primary outcome is a binary, patient-level indicator of electronic post-extraction opioid prescription. Data for the primary outcome will be collected from the provider participant's electronic health records quarterly throughout the study. Provider participants will complete a survey before and approximately 3 months after transitioning into the intervention condition to assess implementation outcomes. AYA patients undergoing tooth extraction will be offered a survey to assess pain control and satisfaction with pain management in the week after their extraction. Primary analyses will use generalized estimating equations to compare the binary patient-level indicator of being prescribed a post-extraction opioid in the intervention condition compared to usual practice. Secondary analyses will assess provider participants' perceptions of feasibility and appropriateness of the intervention, and patient-reported pain control and satisfaction with pain management. Analyses will adjust for patient-level factors (e.g., sex, number of teeth extracted, etc.). DISCUSSION: This real-world study will address an important need, providing information on the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention at modifying dental prescribing behavior and reducing opioid prescriptions to AYA. CLINICALTRIALS: GOV: NCT06275191.

Bystander preference for naloxone products: a field experiment.

BACKGROUND: Bystander administration of naloxone is a critical strategy to mitigate opioid overdose mortality. To ensure bystanders' willingness to carry and administer naloxone in response to a suspected overdose, it is critical to select products for community distribution with the highest likelihood of being utilized. This study examines bystanders' preference for and willingness to administer three naloxone products approved by the FDA for bystander use and identify product features driving preference. METHODS: The population was a convenience sample of individuals who attended the Kentucky State Fair, August 18-28, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky. Participants (n = 503) watched a standardized overdose education and naloxone training video, rated their willingness to administer each of three products (i.e., higher-dose nasal spray, lower-dose nasal spray, intramuscular injection), selected a product to take home, and rated factors affecting choice. RESULTS: After training, 44.4% chose the higher-dose nasal spray, 30.1% chose the intramuscular injection, and 25.5% chose the lower-dose nasal spray. Factors most influencing choice on a 10-point Likert scale were ease of use (9 [7-10]), naloxone dose (8 [5-10]), and product familiarity (5 [5-9]). CONCLUSIONS: Bystanders expressed high willingness to administer all studied formulations of naloxone products. Product choice preference varied as a function of product features. As the number and variety of available products continue to increase, continuous evaluation of formulation acceptability, in addition to including individuals with lived experience who are receiving and administering overdose reversal agents, is critical to support adoption and save lives.

Community pharmacists' lack of access to health records and its impact on targeted MTM interventions.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the adequacy of health record information available to community pharmacists when completing medication therapy management (MTM) interventions and to quantify the time spent on interventions that are ultimately revealed as invalid. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study analyzed cases of high-risk medication use in the elderly and statin use in persons with diabetes identified by 3 MTM platforms across 15 grocery chain pharmacies. MTM interventions were completed by phone and fax following a usual care protocol. Collected data included case validity (defined as the case truly requiring a pharmacist's involvement), case success (defined as achieving the targeted goal of the intervention), time spent on the intervention, and a determination of whether information from an electronic health record (EHR) could have eliminated patient or prescriber contact. RESULTS: Among 163 cases analyzed, 54% were found to be valid and 30% successful. The most common reasons for invalidity were allergy or contraindication, patient already taking a statin, and patient not having the targeted condition. Overall, 14% of cases were valid and successful, 40% valid and unsuccessful, 17% invalid and successful, and 29% invalid and unsuccessful. Valid successful cases averaged 15.3 minutes per case, valid unsuccessful cases averaged 9.2 minutes, invalid successful cases averaged 4.2 minutes, and invalid unsuccessful cases averaged 5.1 minutes. Based on the case-by-case determination of the researchers, EHR information would have completed 39% of cases without patient or prescriber contact. The average time spent on cases needing EHR access was 5.5 minutes, compared with 9.5 minutes for cases in which EHR access would not have helped. CONCLUSION: Community pharmacists performing MTM interventions are hindered by lack of access to patient health information, imprecise patient targeting by MTM platforms, and cumbersome communication between pharmacists and prescribers.

Drug disposal deserts: An assessment of receptacle availability in Kentucky community pharmacies.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the county-level availability of drug disposal receptacles in Kentucky community pharmacies and show the relationship between installed receptacles and opioid analgesic (OA)/controlled substance dispensing rates, stratifying where possible by urban-rural classification. METHODS: Using 2020 data from the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting program and disposal receptacle data from the US Drug Enforcement Agency, county-level comparisons were made between number of receptacles and OA/controlled substance dispensing rates. Logistic and negative binomial regression models were used to assess for differences between rural/urban county designation and odds of ≥1 disposal receptacle and compare the rates of receptacles per dispensed OA dose in rural/urban counties. FINDINGS: While rural counties saw higher OA and controlled substance dispensing rates, the majority (55.6%) of disposal receptacles were in urban locations. The odds of having at least 1 receptacle were higher in urban counties (OR 2.60, 95% CI: 1.15, 5.92) compared to rural. The estimated rate of disposal receptacles per million dispensed OA doses was found to be 0.47 (95% CI: 0.36, 0.61) in urban counties compared to 0.32 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.42) in rural counties, with an estimated rate ratio of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.10). CONCLUSIONS: A mismatch between the availability of county-level disposal receptacles in community pharmacies and the volume of dispensed OAs/controlled substances exists, resulting in fewer receptacles per dispensed OA in rural counties compared to urban counties. Future efforts are necessary to increase access to convenient disposal receptacles located in community pharmacies, particularly in rural communities.

Rapid jail-based implementation of overdose education and naloxone distribution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: People incarcerated in jails are highly impacted by the opioid epidemic, and overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) is an effective strategy to reduce opioid overdose deaths. This study examines barriers and facilitators of fast-track OEND implementation within the jails in the Wave 1 Kentucky counties of the HEALing Communities Study during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Meeting minutes with jail stakeholders were qualitatively coded using the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) as the coding framework. The analysis highlighted the top barriers and facilitators to fast-track OEND implementation within the PRISM framework. RESULTS: Space and staffing shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions in interorganizational programming from pandemic-related service suspensions, and a lack of technological solutions (e.g., reliable Internet access) for socially distanced delivery were the top barriers to fast-track OEND implementation. In addition, there were limitations on non-jail staff access to jails during COVID-19. Top facilitators included jail leadership support, the option to prioritize high-risk groups, and the incorporation of OEND processes into existing communications and management software. While the COVID-19 pandemic strained jail infrastructure, jail and partner agency collaboration led to creative implementation strategies for the successful integration of OEND into jail operations. Urban jails were more likely than rural jails to be early adopters of OEND during the public health emergency. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the barriers to and facilitators of OEND within jails will improve implementation efforts seeking to curb opioid overdose deaths. Jail leadership support and interorganizational efforts were key facilitators to implementation; therefore, it is recommended to increase buy-in with multiple agencies to promote success. Challenges brought on by COVID-19 have resulted in a need for innovative solutions for implementation. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04111939, Submitted 30 September 2019, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04111939?titles=HEALing%20Communities%20Study&rank=1 .

The Opioid-overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach (ORCCA): Evidence-based practices in the HEALing Communities Study.

BACKGROUND: The number of opioid-involved overdose deaths in the United States remains a national crisis. The HEALing Communities Study (HCS) will test whether Communities That HEAL (CTH), a community-engaged intervention, can decrease opioid-involved deaths in intervention communities (n = 33), relative to wait-list communities (n = 34), from four states. The CTH intervention seeks to facilitate widespread implementation of three evidence-based practices (EBPs) with the potential to reduce opioid-involved overdose fatalities: overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND), effective delivery of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and safer opioid analgesic prescribing. A key challenge was delineating an EBP implementation approach useful for all HCS communities. METHODS: A workgroup composed of EBP experts from HCS research sites used literature reviews and expert consensus to: 1) compile strategies and associated resources for implementing EBPs primarily targeting individuals 18 and older; and 2) determine allowable community flexibility in EBP implementation. The workgroup developed the Opioid-overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach (ORCCA) to organize EBP strategies and resources to facilitate EBP implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The ORCCA includes required and recommended EBP strategies, priority populations, and community settings. Each EBP has a "menu" of strategies from which communities can select and implement with a minimum of five strategies required: one for OEND, three for MOUD, and one for prescription opioid safety. Identification and engagement of high-risk populations in OEND and MOUD is an ORCCArequirement. To ensure CTH has community-wide impact, implementation of at least one EBP strategy is required in healthcare, behavioral health, and criminal justice settings, with communities identifying particular organizations to engage in HCS-facilitated EBP implementation.