Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain
There have been increases in prescriptions of high strength opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), but CNCP patients perceive themselves as being at low risk of opioid overdose and generally have limited overdose awareness. This study examined how an overdose prevention intervention (opioid saf...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Pharmacy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/11/3/88 |
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| author | Joe Schofield Tessa Parkes Fiona Mercer Rebecca Foster Kristina Hnízdilová Catriona Matheson Wez Steele Andrew McAuley Fiona Raeburn Lucy Skea Alexander Baldacchino |
| author_facet | Joe Schofield Tessa Parkes Fiona Mercer Rebecca Foster Kristina Hnízdilová Catriona Matheson Wez Steele Andrew McAuley Fiona Raeburn Lucy Skea Alexander Baldacchino |
| author_sort | Joe Schofield |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There have been increases in prescriptions of high strength opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), but CNCP patients perceive themselves as being at low risk of opioid overdose and generally have limited overdose awareness. This study examined how an overdose prevention intervention (opioid safety education, naloxone training, and take-home naloxone (THN)) delivered by community pharmacists for patients prescribed high-strength opioids for CNCP would work in practice in Scotland. Twelve patients received the intervention. CNCP patients and Community Pharmacists were interviewed about their experiences of the intervention and perceptions of its acceptability and feasibility. CNCP patients did not initially perceive themselves as being at risk of overdose but, through the intervention, developed insight into opioid-related risk and the value of naloxone. Pharmacists also identified patients’ low risk perceptions and low overdose awareness. While pharmacists had positive attitudes towards the intervention, they outlined challenges in delivering it under time and resource pressures and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overdose prevention interventions are required in the CNCP population as this group has elevated risk factors for overdose but are commonly overlooked. Customised overdose prevention interventions for CNCP patients attend to gaps in overdose awareness and risk perceptions in this population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:02:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae0bee84d05440c698e9d966d6388071 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:02:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacy |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae0bee84d05440c698e9d966d63880712023-11-18T12:06:40ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872023-05-011138810.3390/pharmacy11030088Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer PainJoe Schofield0Tessa Parkes1Fiona Mercer2Rebecca Foster3Kristina Hnízdilová4Catriona Matheson5Wez Steele6Andrew McAuley7Fiona Raeburn8Lucy Skea9Alexander Baldacchino10Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UKSalvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UKNHS Lanarkshire, Bothwell G71 8BB, UKSchool of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh EH11 4BN, UKSchool of Medicine, Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UKFaculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UKIndependent Researcher, Edinburgh EH17, UKSchool of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UKNHS Grampian, Aberdeen AB15 6RE, UKNHS Grampian, Aberdeen AB15 6RE, UKSchool of Medicine, St. Andrews University, St. Andrews KY16 9TF, UKThere have been increases in prescriptions of high strength opioids for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), but CNCP patients perceive themselves as being at low risk of opioid overdose and generally have limited overdose awareness. This study examined how an overdose prevention intervention (opioid safety education, naloxone training, and take-home naloxone (THN)) delivered by community pharmacists for patients prescribed high-strength opioids for CNCP would work in practice in Scotland. Twelve patients received the intervention. CNCP patients and Community Pharmacists were interviewed about their experiences of the intervention and perceptions of its acceptability and feasibility. CNCP patients did not initially perceive themselves as being at risk of overdose but, through the intervention, developed insight into opioid-related risk and the value of naloxone. Pharmacists also identified patients’ low risk perceptions and low overdose awareness. While pharmacists had positive attitudes towards the intervention, they outlined challenges in delivering it under time and resource pressures and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overdose prevention interventions are required in the CNCP population as this group has elevated risk factors for overdose but are commonly overlooked. Customised overdose prevention interventions for CNCP patients attend to gaps in overdose awareness and risk perceptions in this population.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/11/3/88community pharmacistsopioid overdose riskchronic non-cancer painprescription opioidsoverdose preventionoverdose intervention |
| spellingShingle | Joe Schofield Tessa Parkes Fiona Mercer Rebecca Foster Kristina Hnízdilová Catriona Matheson Wez Steele Andrew McAuley Fiona Raeburn Lucy Skea Alexander Baldacchino Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Pharmacy community pharmacists opioid overdose risk chronic non-cancer pain prescription opioids overdose prevention overdose intervention |
| title | Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain |
| title_full | Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain |
| title_fullStr | Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain |
| title_short | Feasibility and Acceptability of an Overdose Prevention Intervention Delivered by Community Pharmacists for Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain |
| title_sort | feasibility and acceptability of an overdose prevention intervention delivered by community pharmacists for patients prescribed opioids for chronic non cancer pain |
| topic | community pharmacists opioid overdose risk chronic non-cancer pain prescription opioids overdose prevention overdose intervention |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/11/3/88 |
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