Pharmacist Opioid Dispensing Confidence in an Evolving Practice Landscape.

Pharmacists are increasingly called upon to make dispensing decisions when presented with prescriptions for opioids. Risk mitigation strategies have been implemented to assist pharmacists in making these decisions, but they have also increased the complexity of decision-making. The primary objective of this study was to describe change in pharmacist comfort levels with opioid prescription dispensing over the previous year. This was a cross-sectional, multi-state, 16-item survey disseminated to the general membership of 2 state-level professional pharmacy organizations in November 2018. Of 274 pharmacists who opened the questionnaire, 195 (n = 195) completed at least 80% of the survey and were included. Three-fourths (74.6%) of the respondents noted community/retail as their practice site. When asked about change in comfort with dispensing opioids, 19.6% reported an increase in comfort level, 42.5% reported a decrease in comfort level, and 38.0% reported no change. When asked about information that may increase comfort in dispensing opioids, respondents noted diagnosis, morphine milligram equivalent, prior treatments, past medical history, drug monitoring program verification, and previous treatment trials with opioids. Comfort with dispensing opioids decreased over a 12-month period among pharmacists surveyed. Improved communication between prescriber and pharmacist, as well as enhanced access to patient health information, is critical to reduce barriers to care for patients.

A Multi-Site Qualitative Study Examining Pharmacy Student Perspectives on the Opioid Crisis.

Objective. To determine pharmacy students' perspectives regarding opioid use, the opioid crisis, and pharmacy education related to both topics.Methods. Students from each professional year at eight participating schools and colleges of pharmacy were invited to participate in focus groups and answer questions about their experiences with the opioid crisis. Faculty and/or staff moderated the focus groups and audio-recorded responses. Recordings were deidentified, transcribed, and analyzed.Results. One hundred fifty students participated in one of 29 focus groups conducted. Responses were categorized according to themes using consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology. Sources impacting student views on the crisis included school, personal and work experience, and media. Perspective changes since starting school included increased knowledge and awareness and decreased bias/stigma.Conclusion. Conducting focus groups on the opioid crisis provided pharmacy schools with information on what student pharmacists are learning about the crisis, practices they see, and their recommendations to address the crisis. Pharmacy schools can better prepare students to combat the opioid crisis by providing them with training in opioid counseling, use of naloxone, and how to have difficult conversations with patients.