Are pharmacists on the front lines of the opioid epidemic? A cross-sectional study of the practices and competencies of community and hospital pharmacists in Punjab, Pakistan.
Naeem MubarakTaheer ZahidFatima Rahman RanaUmm-E-Barirah IjazAfshan ShabbirMahrukh ManzoorNahan KhanMinahil ArifMuhammad Mehroz NaeemSabba KanwalNasira Saif-Ur-RehmanChe Suraya ZinKhalid MahmoodJavaid AsgherMohammed Hassan ElnaemPublished in: BMJ open (2023)
Both community and hospital pharmacists hold significant positions and potential to contribute meaningfully to the mitigation of harms and risks associated with opioids. Nevertheless, this study underscores notable deficiencies in the competence of pharmacists, whether in hospital or community settings in Punjab, concerning various aspects related to the dispensing and utilisation of opioids. It also highlights the pressing need for the development of strategies aimed at improving several practice areas including the documentation, the quality of patient counselling, the effectiveness of reporting mechanisms for opioid abuse and the stringent enforcement of regulatory policies to curtail opioid misuse. Thus, to mitigate the opioid epidemic in Pakistan, it is imperative to institute opioid stewardship initiatives aimed at rectifying the competency and procedural deficiencies within the pharmacist workforce.
Keyphrases
- chronic pain
- pain management
- healthcare
- mental health
- primary care
- adverse drug
- public health
- acute care
- general practice
- quality improvement
- systematic review
- climate change
- physical activity
- human health
- risk assessment
- transcription factor
- tertiary care
- emergency department
- hiv infected
- intimate partner violence
- advance care planning