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Research Studies is a monthly compilation of research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers and recently published in journals or newsletters.
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1 to 25 of 86 Research Studies DisplayedPham T, Patel P, Mbusa D
Impact of a pharmacist intervention on DOAC knowledge and satisfaction in ambulatory patients.
This randomized clinical trial’s goal was to assess the impact on knowledge and satisfaction of an intervention framed around a newly developed direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) Checklist to guide and educate patients initiating or resuming DOACs. The cohort included ambulatory patients starting a DOAC or resuming one after setback (bleeding, stroke, or transient ischemic attack) in an ambulatory setting (office, emergency department, or short stay hospitalization). The study included three educational clinical pharmacist tele-visits, hotline access to the pharmacist, and coordination with continuity providers in 3 months. An abbreviated version of the Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Survey was administered to 463 patients. Scores were similar for the 233 intervention patients vs. 203 control patients (63.7% vs 62.2% correct). Satisfaction scores on the 7-point Likert scale were also virtually identical. The pharmacist-led intervention framed around the DOAC checklist had little impact on knowledge and satisfaction. There were delays between the intervention end and completion of the follow-up questionnaires, which may have obscured benefits experienced earlier.
AHRQ-funded; HS026859.
Citation: Pham T, Patel P, Mbusa D .
Impact of a pharmacist intervention on DOAC knowledge and satisfaction in ambulatory patients.
J Thromb Thrombolysis 2023 Feb;55(2):346-54. doi: 10.1007/s11239-022-02743-0.
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Blood Thinners, Medication, Patient Experience, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Kakani P, Chernew M, Chandra A
The contribution of price growth to pharmaceutical revenue growth in the United States: evidence from medicines sold in retail pharmacies.
This study used data from SSR Health LLC to address research questions related to the extent of pharmaceutical revenue growth’s dependance on new medicines versus increasing prices for existing medicines. The findings showed that, from 2009 to 2019, retail pharmaceutical revenue growth was primarily driven by new products, not by price increases on existing products. The authors concluded that policies restricting price growth on existing medicines should be coupled with policies that reduce launch prices to have a meaningful long-term impact on pharmaceutical revenue growth; the use of pharmaceutical list prices was an inadequate approximation for net prices, since the role of rebates has increased and varies by drug class.
AHRQ-funded; HS000055.
Citation: Kakani P, Chernew M, Chandra A .
The contribution of price growth to pharmaceutical revenue growth in the United States: evidence from medicines sold in retail pharmacies.
J Health Polit Policy Law 2022 Dec 1;47(6):629-48. doi: 10.1215/03616878-10041079..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist
Pitts SI, Yang Y, Thomas B
Discontinuation of outpatient medications: implications for electronic messaging to pharmacies using CancelRx.
This study aimed to describe the proportion of discontinued outpatient medications that would result in a prescription discontinuation, or CancelRx message to understand its impact on medication safety. The authors used a data report to identify all outpatient medications discontinued in the electronic health record (EHR) of an academic health system in 1 month (October 2018). A total of 63,485 medications were discontinued, with 36.4% e-prescribed, 40.9% patient-reported or reconciled, and the remainder prescribed nonelectronically. Discontinued high-risk medications were more likely to be e-prescribed (47%). A discontinuation reason was specified in 58.9% of all discontinued medications. Approximately one-third to one-half of discontinued medications were e-prescribed within the same EHR that would result in a CancelRx message to the pharmacy. Extension of this functionality to reconciled medications in the EHR could significantly expand the impact of CancelRx on medication safety.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Pitts SI, Yang Y, Thomas B .
Discontinuation of outpatient medications: implications for electronic messaging to pharmacies using CancelRx.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Nov 14;29(12):2101-04. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac181..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Kang D, Charlton P, Applebury DE
Utilizing eye tracking to assess electronic health record use by pharmacists in the intensive care unit.
The authors conducted a study using high-fidelity electronic health record (EHR)-based simulations with incorporated eye tracking to understand the workflow of critical care pharmacists within the EHR, with specific attention to the data elements most frequently viewed. They found that, in addition to medication information, laboratory data and clinical notes are key focuses of intensive care unit pharmacist review of patient records and that navigation to multiple screens is required in order to view these data with the EHR.
AHRQ-funded; HS023793.
Citation: Kang D, Charlton P, Applebury DE .
Utilizing eye tracking to assess electronic health record use by pharmacists in the intensive care unit.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2022 Nov 7;79(22):2018-25. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxac158..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Provider: Pharmacist
Sikora A, Martin GS
Critical care pharmacists: improving care by increasing access to medication expertise.
This article discusses the shortage and need for critical care pharmacists in ICUs to improve care and prevent medication errors. There is a gap in critical care pharmacists with both low supply and low demand. Identifying the optimal patient:pharmacist ratio in the ICU is a key question. The authors discuss ways to reduce the gap by increasing the number of critical care pharmacy residency programs and including critical care pharmacists more in multidisciplinary rounds. The authors developed a toolkit for increasing critical care pharmacy services in five actionable steps and provide an annotated bibliography of key references.
AHRQ-funded; HS028485.
Citation: Sikora A, Martin GS .
Critical care pharmacists: improving care by increasing access to medication expertise.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2022 Nov;19(11):1796-98. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202206-502VP..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Medication, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Critical Care
White A, Fulda KG, Blythe R
Defining and enhancing collaboration between community pharmacists and primary care providers to improve medication safety.
The purpose of this narrative review was to further define the nature of collaboration between pharmacists and primary care providers in improving medication safety in community settings, and to describe related barriers and strategies. The researchers searched PubMed studies published between January 2000 and December 2020 using search terms including: "collaboration," "community pharmacy," "patient safety," "medication safety," and "primary care physician." The identified articles were placed into 3 categories: 1) defining collaboration, 2) types of collaboration, and 3) barriers and solutions to collaboration. The authors concluded that medication review and other strategies are a common form of collaboration between pharmacists and primary care providers, and that barriers to that collaboration can include erroneous beliefs regarding roles, variation in access to clinical information, and differences in community pharmacy practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS027277.
Citation: White A, Fulda KG, Blythe R .
Defining and enhancing collaboration between community pharmacists and primary care providers to improve medication safety.
Expert Opin Drug Saf 2022 Nov;21(11):1357-64. doi: 10.1080/14740338.2022.2147923..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Primary Care, Medication, Patient Safety, Community-Based Practice
Chui MA, Berbakov ME, Gilson AM
Effectiveness and sustainment of a tailored over-the-counter medication safety intervention in community pharmacies: a randomized controlled trial.
This paper is a protocol of a pilot study to address a gap in medication safety and decrease misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by older adults aged 65 years or older by creating a pharmacy “Senior Section”. The study will occur in three phases: adaptation, effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial, and sustainment. The study will take place within a regional Midwest integrated health system in conjunction with administration leadership and pharmacy sites. The authors hope this project will provide a road map for pharmacy organizations to tailor and adopt the Senior Section.
AHRQ-funded; HS027737.
Citation: Chui MA, Berbakov ME, Gilson AM .
Effectiveness and sustainment of a tailored over-the-counter medication safety intervention in community pharmacies: a randomized controlled trial.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2022 Nov;18(11):3953-63. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.06.008..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Campbell NL, Pitts C, Corvari C
Deprescribing anticholinergics in primary care older adults: experience from two models and impact on a continuous measure of exposure.
The purpose of this study was to assess two pilot pharmacist-based advanced practice deprescribing intervention models and their impact on patients’ exposure to high-risk anticholinergics. The researchers conducted pilot studies of a collaborative clinic-based pharmacist deprescribing intervention and a telephone-based pharmacist deprescribing intervention. Deprescribing was defined as a discontinuation or dose reduction. Patients participating in the clinic-based pharmacy model were aged 55 years and older and were referred for deprescribing at a specialty clinic. Patients participating in the telephone-based pharmacy model were aged 65 years and older and called by a clinical pharmacist for deprescribing without referral. The study found that among the 24 medications deemed eligible for deprescribing for the18 patients in the clinic-based model, 23 were deprescribed. The clinic-based deprescribing model resulted in a 93% reduction in median annualized total standardized dose (TSD), 56% lowered their annualized exposure below a cognitive risk threshold, and 17% of medications were represcribed within 6 months. Among the 24 medications deemed eligible for deprescribing for the 24 patients in the telephone-based pharmacy model, 50% were deprescribed. There was no change in the median annualized TSD, the annualized TSD was lowered below a cognitive risk threshold in 46%, and no medications were represcribed within 6 months. The researchers concluded that pharmacist-based deprescribing successfully reduced exposure to high-risk anticholinergics in the study population.
AHRQ-funded; HS24384.
Citation: Campbell NL, Pitts C, Corvari C .
Deprescribing anticholinergics in primary care older adults: experience from two models and impact on a continuous measure of exposure.
Journal of the American College of Pharmacy 2022 Oct;5(10):1039-47. doi: 10.1002/jac5.1682..
Keywords: Elderly, Primary Care, Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Pestka DL, Paterson NL, Brummel AR
Barriers and facilitators to implementing pharmacist-provided comprehensive medication management in primary care transformation.
The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators when integrating pharmacist-provided comprehensive medication management (CMM) services into a health system's team-based primary care transformation (PCT) using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Findings showed that identifying and addressing implementation barriers and facilitators early during PCT rollout was critical to the success of team-based services such as CMM and becoming a learning health system. Further, clinical pharmacists providing CMM represented a valuable interdisciplinary care team member who can help to improve healthcare quality and access to primary care.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Pestka DL, Paterson NL, Brummel AR .
Barriers and facilitators to implementing pharmacist-provided comprehensive medication management in primary care transformation.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2022 Jul 22;79(15):1255-65. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxac104..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Primary Care, Implementation, Practice Improvement
Hollowell M, Hudmon KS, Perkins SM
Evaluation of a modified and abbreviated scale for assessing chronic illness care for medication therapy management practice.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the validity and internal consistency of the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) abbreviated, 12-item scale as a novel instrument for measuring Medication Therapy Management (MTM) care delivery. Researchers administered the instrument to pharmacists employed at 27,560 community pharmacies. The study concluded that when applied to the measurement of chronic illness care within the MTM setting, the abbreviated ACIC showed acceptable validity and internal consistency, and could serve as a valuable tool.
AHRQ-funded; HS022119.
Citation: Hollowell M, Hudmon KS, Perkins SM .
Evaluation of a modified and abbreviated scale for assessing chronic illness care for medication therapy management practice.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2022 May;18(5):2804-10. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.06.006..
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Care Management
Watterson TL, Stone JA, Gilson A
Impact of CancelRx on discontinuation of controlled substance prescriptions: an interrupted time series analysis.
The purpose of this study was to assess how controlled substance medication discontinuations were communicated over time, before and after the implementation of CancelRx. Data were collected from a midwestern academic health system’s electronic health record and pharmacy platform for 12 months prior to and for 12 months post CancelRx implementation. Findings showed that, after CancelRx implementation, there was an immediate and significant increase in the number of controlled substance medications that were successfully discontinued at the pharmacy once they were discontinued in the clinic. This change was sustained in the year following CancelRx and did not revert to pre-CancelRx levels. The health IT functionality was able to complete discontinuation tasks and potentially to reduce workload for clinic staff.
AHRQ-funded; HS025793.
Citation: Watterson TL, Stone JA, Gilson A .
Impact of CancelRx on discontinuation of controlled substance prescriptions: an interrupted time series analysis.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2022 Feb 25;22(1):50. doi: 10.1186/s12911-022-01779-9..
Keywords: Cancer, Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist
Pestka DL, Brummel AR, Wong MT
Characterizing the reach of comprehensive medication management in a population health primary care model.
As care teams adopt team-based models of care, it is important to examine the reach of interdisciplinary services, such as pharmacists providing comprehensive medication management (CMM). This study examined the reach of pharmacist-delivered CMM in the first 10 months of a population health-focused primary care transformation (PCT). This study illustrated that pharmacists providing CMM see complex patients with a high propensity for medication therapy problems.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Pestka DL, Brummel AR, Wong MT .
Characterizing the reach of comprehensive medication management in a population health primary care model.
J Am Coll Clin Pharm 2021 Nov;4(11):1410-19. doi: 10.1002/jac5.1525..
Keywords: Medication, Care Management, Provider: Pharmacist, Implementation
Taber DJ, Fleming JN, Su Z
Significant hospitalization cost savings to the payer with a pharmacist-led mobile health intervention to improve medication safety in kidney transplant recipients.
This paper examined hospitalization cost savings to the payer with a pharmacist-led mobile health intervention to improve medication safety in kidney transplant recipients. This study was an economic analysis of a 12-month, parallel arm, randomized controlled trial in adult kidney recipients 6 to 36 months posttransplant (NCT03247322). All participants received usual posttransplant care, while the intervention arm received supplemental clinical pharmacist-led medication therapy monitoring and management, via a smartphone-enabled mHealth app, integrated with risk-based televisits.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Taber DJ, Fleming JN, Su Z .
Significant hospitalization cost savings to the payer with a pharmacist-led mobile health intervention to improve medication safety in kidney transplant recipients.
Am J Transplant 2021 Oct;21(10):3428-35. doi: 10.1111/ajt.16737..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Provider: Pharmacist, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Transplantation, Hospitalization, Medication: Safety, Medication
Gilson AM, Stone JA, Morris AO
Impact of a pilot community pharmacy system redesign on reducing over-the-counter medication misuse in older adults.
This pilot study’s goal was to decrease misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by older adults aged 65 years or older by creating a pharmacy “Senior Section”. The Senior Section contains a curated selection of OTC medications and it located close to the prescription department to facilitate pharmacy staff-patient engagement to reduce misuse. The study recruited 87 older adults from 3 pharmacies. Misuse outcomes measured were drug-drug, drug-disease, drug-age, and drug-label, with 5 subtypes. The Senior Section reduced drug-label misuse for different models. Misuse was found to decrease after implementation for 7 of 11 comparisons.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Stone JA, Morris AO .
Impact of a pilot community pharmacy system redesign on reducing over-the-counter medication misuse in older adults.
J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 2021 Sep-Oct;61(5):555-64. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.04.007..
Keywords: Elderly, Provider: Pharmacist, Medication, Medication: Safety
Snyder ME, Adeoye-Olatunde OA, Gernant SA
A user-centered evaluation of medication therapy management alerts for community pharmacists: recommendations to improve usability and usefulness.
Community pharmacists provide comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) through pharmacy contracts with medication therapy management (MTM) vendors. These CMRs are documented in the vendors' web-based MTM software platforms, which often integrate alerts to assist pharmacists in the detection of medication therapy problems. The objectives of this study were to 1) assess the usability and usefulness of MTM alerts for MTM vendor-contracted community pharmacists and 2) generate recommendations for improving MTM alerts for use by community pharmacists.
AHRQ-funded; HS025005.
Citation: Snyder ME, Adeoye-Olatunde OA, Gernant SA .
A user-centered evaluation of medication therapy management alerts for community pharmacists: recommendations to improve usability and usefulness.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Aug;17(8):1433-43. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.10.015..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Community-Based Practice
De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The main objective of the current investigation was to examine the effectiveness of pharmacist-based transition-of-care interventions on the reduction of medication errors after hospital discharge. Findings showed that pharmacist transition-of-care intervention is an effective strategy to reduce medication errors after hospital discharge and also reduces subsequent emergency room visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS024158.
Citation: De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC .
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):375-80. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000283..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Transitions of Care
Green TC, Stopka T, Xuan Z
Examining nonprescription syringe sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island community pharmacies.
The authors sought to describe, compare, and assess the convergent validity of staff-reported nonprescription syringe (NPS) sales volume and NPS administrative sales data from community pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They found that the counts of administrative pharmacy syringe sales data in both states indicated high need, substantial volume, and notable access at community pharmacies. They recommended future research of NPS sales data rather than self-reported data to track emerging trends and to tailor local responses.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Green TC, Stopka T, Xuan Z .
Examining nonprescription syringe sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island community pharmacies.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2021 Jul-Aug;61(4):e237-e41. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.03.004..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist
Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of improving medication safety through a pharmacist-led, mobile health-based intervention. In this single-center study of adult kidney recipients 6-36 months post-transplant, findings showed that participants receiving the intervention experienced a significant reduction in medication errors and a significantly lower incidence risk of Grade 3 or higher adverse events. The intervention arm also demonstrated significantly lower rates of hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M .
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2021 May 8;16(5):776-84. doi: 10.2215/cjn.15911020..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Transplantation, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L
Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention improves medication safety for patients who are discharged from the hospital and prescribed medications within 1 or more of these high-risk drug classes: anticoagulants, diabetes agents, and opioids. The randomized clinical trial was conducted at a large multidisciplinary group practice in Massachusetts and included patients 50 years or older. Findings showed that there was not an observed lower rate of adverse drug-related incidents or clinically important medication errors during the posthospitalization period that was associated with a clinical pharmacist intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS023774.
Citation: Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L .
Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Intern Med 2021 May;181(5):610-18. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.9285..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA
A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.
This study assessed whether the development of a physical redesign that located a curated inventory of lower-risk over-the-counter (OTC) medications proximal to the pharmacy prescription area was helpful to discourage inappropriate use from OTC medications. An area called the Senior Section™ was developed and placed in 4 pharmacies within a single chain. Eight pharmacists and 5 technicians participated in semi-structured interviews which were transcribed. The staff viewed the Senior Section as contributing to notable improvements in proximity, medication safety, convenience, and patient selection behaviors. It also streamlined the coordination of services between pharmacists and technicians and did not interfere with existing pharmacy workflows.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA .
A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Mar;17(3):578-87. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.05.008..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Snyder ME, Chewning B, Kreling D
An evaluation of the spread and scale of PatientToc™ from primary care to community pharmacy practice for the collection of patient-reported outcomes: a study protocol.
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), measuring adherence challenges pertaining to both remembering and intention to take medication, offer a rich data source for pharmacists and prescribers to use to resolve medication non-adherence. PatientToc™ is a PROs collection software developed to facilitate collection of PROs data from low-literacy and non-English speaking patients in Los Angeles. This study evaluated the spread and scale of PatientToc™ from primary care to community pharmacies for the collection and use of PROs data pertaining to medication adherence.
AHRQ-funded; HS025943.
Citation: Snyder ME, Chewning B, Kreling D .
An evaluation of the spread and scale of PatientToc™ from primary care to community pharmacy practice for the collection of patient-reported outcomes: a study protocol.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Feb;17(2):466-74. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.03.019..
Keywords: Medication, Patient Adherence/Compliance, Primary Care, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of pharmacist-led telemedicine services on reducing high-risk medication adverse drug events (ADEs) for nursing home (NH) residents using medication reconciliation and prospective medication regimen reviews (MRRs) on admission plus ongoing clinical decision support alerts throughout the residents' stay. Studying residents in four NHs in Southwestern Pennsylvania, findings showed that the intervention group had a 92% lower incidence of alert-specific ADEs than usual care, and all-cause hospitalization was similar between groups, as were 30-day readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS02420.
Citation: Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM .
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Feb;69(2):530-38. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16946..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Prevention
Green TC, Bratberg J, Baird J
Rurality and differences in pharmacy characteristics and community factors associated with provision of naloxone in the pharmacy.
Researchers studied pharmacy-level naloxone dispensed from one large US community pharmacy chain from the 1st quarter of 2013 to the 2nd quarter of 2017, examining associations between naloxone provision and pharmacy-level characteristics and community factors in two US states, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. They found that more rural pharmacies, pharmacies with higher volumes of all prescriptions and of buprenorphine, that sell more nonprescription syringes, that have drive-throughs and longer weekend hours, and that are located in communities with younger age distributions were associated with increased likelihood of ever dispensing naloxone and a greater number of naloxone doses dispensed. They concluded that pharmacy naloxone dispensing may be an especially effective strategy to alter the overdose risk environment in rural communities.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Green TC, Bratberg J, Baird J .
Rurality and differences in pharmacy characteristics and community factors associated with provision of naloxone in the pharmacy.
Int J Drug Policy 2020 Nov;85:102602. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.11.010..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Community-Based Practice, Rural Health
Alley L, Novak K, Havlin T
Development and pilot of a prescription drug monitoring program and communication intervention for pharmacists
The authors developed the Resources Encouraging Safe Prescription Opioid and Naloxone Dispensing (RESPOND) Toolkit to enhance community pharmacists' understanding of their role in addressing opioid safety; to improve integration of prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) into daily workflow; and to enhance communication between pharmacists, prescribers, and patients. In this paper, they described the development of the RESPOND Toolkit and summarized their findings from initial pilot testing. They concluded that the RESPOND Toolkit has promise as an effective and scalable approach to providing community pharmacist-tailored training to promote behavioral shifts supporting opioid safety for patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227.
Citation: Alley L, Novak K, Havlin T .
Development and pilot of a prescription drug monitoring program and communication intervention for pharmacists
Res Social Adm Pharm 2020 Oct;16(10):1422-30. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.12.023..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Tools & Toolkits, Communication, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Training
Donovan E, Bratberg J, Baird J
Pharmacy leaders' beliefs about how pharmacies can support a sustainable approach to providing naloxone to the community.
The objective of this qualitative study was to understand how leaders in pharmacy organizations perceive pharmacies and pharmacy staff can optimize dispensing of naloxone. Five main themes emerged: importance of staff training to increase comfort; strength through coordination of efforts; pharmacies acting as community leaders in the opioid crisis; persisting stigma; ongoing workflow challenges. These results uniquely reflect the experiences and insights of pharmacy leaders implementing public health initiatives during the opioid crisis and can be used for gaining insight into how pharmacists can efficiently provide naloxone to their communities.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Donovan E, Bratberg J, Baird J .
Pharmacy leaders' beliefs about how pharmacies can support a sustainable approach to providing naloxone to the community.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2020 Oct;16(10):1493-97. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.01.006..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Community-Based Practice, Opioids, Medication, Substance Abuse
