Journal Article

Patient perspectives on community pharmacy administered and dispensing of methadone treatment for opioid use disorder: a qualitative study in the U.S

John, William S., Mannelli, Paolo, Anderson, Alyssa, Wu, Li-Tzy, Schwartz, Robert P., Morse, Eric D.

2023

Overview

Background Pharmacy administration and dispensing of methadone treatment for opioid use disorder (PADMOUD) may address inadequate capability of opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in the US by expanding access to methadone at community pharmacies nationally. PADMOUD is vastly underutilized in the US. There is no published US study on OUD patients’ perspectives on PADMOUD. Data are timely and needed to inform the implementation of PADMOUD in the US to address its serious opioid overdose crisis. Methods Patient participants of the first completed US trial on PADMOUD through electronic prescribing for methadone (parent study) were interviewed to explore implementation-related factors for PADMOUD. All 20 participants of the parent study were invited to participate in this interview study. Each interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify emergent themes. Results Seventeen participants completed the interview. Patients’ perspectives on PADMOUD were grouped into five areas. Participants reported feasibility of taking the tablet formulation of methadone at the pharmacy and identified benefits from PADMOUD (e.g., better access, efficiency, convenience) compared with usual care at the OTP. Participants perceived support for PADMOUD from their family/friends, OTP staff, and pharmacy staff. PADMOUD was perceived to be a great option for stable patients with take-home doses and those with transportation barriers. The distance (convenience), office hours, and the cost were considered factors most influencing their decision to receive methadone from a pharmacy. Nonjudgmental communication, pharmacists’ training on methadone treatment, selection of patients (stable status), workflow of PADMOUD, and protection of privacy were considered key factors for improving operations of PADMOUD. Conclusion This study presents the first findings on patient perspectives on PADMOUD. Participants considered pharmacies more accessible than OTPs, which could encourage more people to receive methadone treatment earlier and help transition stable patients from an OTP into a local pharmacy. The findings have timely implications for informing implementation strategies of PADMOUD that consider patients’ views and needs.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Access / Advocacy / Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use / Analysis / Collaboration / Community pharmacists / Community pharmacy / Computerized physician order entry / Controlled substances / Drug administration / Drug dosages / Drug overdose / Drug stores / Drug use / Drugs / Drugstores / FDA approval / Feasibility / Friendship / Health Psychology / Humans / Implementation / Interviews / Medical research / Medical treatment / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Medicine, Experimental / Methadone / Methadone - therapeutic use / Methadone maintenance treatment / Methadone medication unit / Methadone prescribing / Narcotics / Opiate Substitution Treatment / Opioid treatment program / Opioid use disorder / Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy / Opioids / Overdose / Parents & parenting / Patient satisfaction / Patients / Pharmacies / Pharmacists / Pharmacology/Toxicology / Pharmacy / Prescribing / Privacy / Psychopharmacology / Public Health / Qualitative Research / Social Work / Substance abuse treatment / Substance use disorder / Treatment programs