Agnieszka Skowron, Dominik Wiszniewski

Pharmacists’ perceptions of opioid addiction prevention and treatment programs

 

 

2025-05-16

Subject and purpose of the study. In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the growing public health crisis related to the so-called opioid epidemic. Narcotics from this group are responsible for an increasing number of deaths in developed countries, especially in the United States. At the same time, new strategies are being proposed to combat the problem. One aspect of these strategies is opioid addiction prevention and treatment programs involving pharmacists. Their experiences vary from country to country, and this article summarizes these variations while recommending good practices in this neuralgic aspect of public health.

The purpose of the study was to examine the participating pharmacists’ perceptions on drug policy programs such as the needle exchange programs, substitution therapies including methadone maintenance treatment, educational programs on opioid overdose and naloxone distribution.

Methods and results. A narrative review of the scientific literature on the pharmacist’s role in addiction was conducted, with a particular focus on opioid drug addiction.

Pharmacists’ interest in participating in opioid addiction prevention and treatment programs and their commitment level strongly depend on their personal beliefs and biases, as well as the state of their knowledge of harm reduction, especially in terms of the legalities of this area. In contrast, the analysis did not show that pharmacists showed reluctance to participate in such programs due to insufficient factual knowledge about narcotic substances, substitute drugs, or medical device use.

Conclusions. The conducted literature review indicates that pharmacists are a qualified group that can well supply the need to combat the social effects of substance abuse. However, to do so, it is required to provide them with a favorable legal environment that is geared towards the care of addicts rather than their victimization, as well as the education of the public and the implementation of favorable public health policies.

Keywords: addictions, opioid crisis, needle exchange programs, substitution treatment, pharmacist.

© Farm Pol, 2024, 80(11): 751–758