Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background Pharmacy administration and dispensing of methadone for opioid use disorder (PADMOUD) as part of a methadone medication unit (MU) of an opioid treatment program (OTP) can help address the opioid epidemic in the US. There are limited data to inform its implementation. Aims We explored pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions about PADMOUD and their intention to practice it. Design An on-line survey of licensed pharmacists recruited from 50 states and District of Columbia (DC) was conducted. Findings Of the 585 survey completers, 6.2% reported having ever worked at an OTP, 37.9% reported being aware of federal/state regulations allowing the methadone MU, and 39.2% perceived that most pharmacists would be interested in participating in a pharmacy methadone MU. The majority perceived confidence in their ability to develop a partnership with an OTP to establish/participate in a pharmacy methadone MU (57.2%). Being male, being in the other race category (vs. being White), practicing pharmacy services in the West region (vs. Northeast region), working at an independent pharmacy (vs. hospital/clinic pharmacy), and being an owner/partner/manager of a pharmacy (vs. staff pharmacist) were associated with increased odds of perceiving confidence in their ability to develop a partnership with an OTP to establish/participate in a pharmacy methadone MU. Additionally, 25.1% of pharmacists reported that they are likely to build a partnership with an OTP to participate in a pharmacy methadone MU. Being male, being in the other race category (vs. being White), and being Asian (vs. being White) were associated with increased odds of reporting an intention to build a partnership with an OTP to participate in a pharmacy methadone MU. Pharmacists identified barriers to implementing MUs (e.g., concerns about workload, regulations/liability, lack of training) and benefits (e.g., improved access to treatment, serving more patients, convenient locations, less stigma for patients). Conclusions This nationwide survey of pharmacists suggests that while most pharmacists see benefits to support methadone MUs, they also cite significant barriers. Collective efforts among state pharmacy boards, pharmacist associations, and opioid treatment-related authorities could develop feasible program designs and help establish PADMOUD guidelines and training requirements for pharmacies/pharmacists to participate in methadone MUs. Clinical trial number Not applicable.