New Zealand community pharmacist attitudes toward opioid-dependent clients

Abstract

Aim: To survey New Zealand community pharmacists to explore levels of training, attitudes towards providing services for drug users, and associations with current and past practice. Methods: Postal survey of 898 randomly selected community pharmacists. Questions included demography, training and a 20-question attitude scale. Principle component analysis was conducted to identify the main attitude factors. Multiple linear regressions were used to model the effect of different independent variables on the factors. Findings: Twenty-six percent of respondents had previously undertaken training about the management of opioid misuse. Four principal factors explained 57% of the variance within the attitude questions. These were attitudes towards: 'the general results of dispensing methadone to opioid misusers'; 'the effect of opioid-dependent clients on a pharmacy'; 'reducing harm associated with drug use'; and 'engaging with drug users'. Training (having it or wanting to have it) was positively associated with the four attitude factors. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that attitudes towards various aspects of service provision to drug misusers may not be as simple as previously perceived.

‘Does anyone know where to get fits from around here?’ Policy implications for the provision of sterile injecting equipment through pharmacies in Sydney, Australia

“…This supports findings from the UK where more positive attitudes toward HIV prevention and service provision for IDUs has been associated with pharmacists who provide these services compared with those who do not (Matheson, Bond, & Mollison, 1999;Sheridan et al, 2000). However, there are also reports of 'problems' with provision of injecting equipment that have resulted in pharmacists ceasing to provide this service and a suggestion that there are training needs regarding interpersonal skills required to assist people who inject drugs (McCormick, Bryant, Sheridan, & Gonzalez, 2006).…”

Evaluation of online training for the provision of opioid substitution treatment by community pharmacists in New Zealand

“…The overwhelming majority of participants were pharmacists who had some experience in working with OST. This may have introduced bias to the study, as pharmacists with a positive attitude towards OST clients have previously been found to be more likely to undergo training and provide treatment [3,4]. Positive changes in attitude scores may have either been greater or more difficult to achieve in a group of pharmacists with no previous experience or who tended towards a more negative score at the outset.…”

“…Training community pharmacists in the management of opioid misuse has been found to influence whether they initiate or continue to provide OST and needle exchange services for substance users. A survey of community pharmacists in New Zealand found a much greater proportion of those providing OST services and/or needle exchange had received training than those who had never provided the service or who had stopped providing services to opioid‐dependent clients [3]. The authors suggested this may indicate that training provides a protective role by reducing the rate of drop‐out from service provision [3].…”

“…A survey of community pharmacists in New Zealand found a much greater proportion of those providing OST services and/or needle exchange had received training than those who had never provided the service or who had stopped providing services to opioid‐dependent clients [3]. The authors suggested this may indicate that training provides a protective role by reducing the rate of drop‐out from service provision [3]. Another study assessing community pharmacists' attitudes towards addiction and the provision of services to drug misusers in Scotland found attitudes to be more positive in those who had completed past training on drug misuse when compared with those who had not, and in those who desired future training in this area compared with those who did not [4].…”

Provision of opioid substitution therapy services in Australian pharmacies

“…1,5 Scope of the problem In Australia there are over 39, 000 people receiving OST, more than two-thirds of whom reside in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC). 8 Community pharmacies are a major point of OST delivery in Australia, as is the case in many countries, such as the UK, France, and New Zealand [9][10] . The number of patients per pharmacy varies from less than 5 up to 50.…”