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320153
Community pharmacists' attitude towards engaging in the physical healthcare of patients on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT)


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Olubusayo Akinola, PhD, College of health sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN
Sue Patterson, PhD, Department of psychological medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Olawunmi Obisesan, PhD, College of Health Sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN
  
Background: Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is one of the major pharmacological interventions and a treatment option used as opiate detoxification in drug misuse, administered under pharmacists’ supervision in community pharmacies. This study aims to assess the attitudes of community pharmacists’ towards promoting the physical health of patients on MMT, to assess their current level of engagement, facilitation and barriers towards service provision.

 Method: A mixed mode cross-sectional survey that incorporated both structured quantitative and phenomenological data collection was conducted. A hundred pharmacists licensed to practise in the UK were randomly selected from different community pharmacies in the London borough of Newham. Qualitative data were thematically analysed using the hybrid approach while SPSS 15 was used to analyse quantitative data. 

Result: A response rate of 82% was achieved. Majority of the respondents (67.1%) displayed high level of physical health care intervention. Knowledge in major health issues confronting patients on MMT (O.R=4.778,95%C.I=1.671-13.665,p=.004) and age-group (O.R=1.455, 95%C.I=1.007,2.103, p=.032) were significantly associated with the level of physical health care intervention. In addition, years of practice (O.R=1.514, 95%C.I=1.070,2.143,p=.019), age-group (O.R=1.553, 95%C.I=1.107,2.177,p=.011) and service-provision (O.R=7.8,95%C.I=2.301,26.444,p<.0001) were identified as predictors of community pharmacists’ attitudes. Barriers to engagement identified from the structured interview include lack of privacy, training, job description and unpredictable behaviour of patients

Discussion: The findings of this study reiterate the need to revise pharmacists’ expanded scope of practice and improve organizational support for community pharmacists that engage in pharmacological treatments for opioid detoxification so as to optimize their role in preventing drug misuse in primary care.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Discuss community pharmacists' current level of involvement towards promoting the health of patients on pharmacological intervention of methadone maintenance for opiate addiction. Discuss predictors of service provision and factors that hinders or facilitate the provision of optimal physical healthcare.

Keyword(s): Pharmacists, Drug Abuse Prevention and Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the primary researcher who conducted this study as a masters' degree student. Data collection and subsequent analysis was done by me.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4197.0: Pharmacy in Public Health Posters 1