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 Mubarak; Taheer Zahid; Fatima Rahman Rana; Umm-E-Barirah Ijaz; Afshan Shabbir; Mahrukh Manzoor; Nahan Khan; Minahil Arif; Muhammad Mehroz Naeem; Sabba Kanwal; Nasira Saif-ur-Rehman; Che Suraya Zin; Khalid Mahmood; Javaid Asgher; Mohamed Hassan Elnaem

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079507

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 Mubarak, Taheer Zahid, Fatima Rahman Rana, Umm-E-Barirah Ijaz, Afshan Shabbir, Mahrukh Manzoor, Nahan Khan, Minahil Arif, Muhammad Mehroz Naeem, Sabba Kanwal, Nasira Saif-ur-Rehman, Che Suraya Zin, Khalid Mahmood, Javaid Asgher, Mohamed Hassan Elnaem

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Abstract

Introduction: Countries are grappling with a rapidly worsening upsurge in the opioid-related overdose deaths, misuse and abuse. There is a dearth of data in Pakistan regarding the practices and competencies of pharmacists in handling opioid-related issues. Study design: A cross-sectional study, conducted across Punjab, Pakistan. Method: The study deployed a validated survey to evaluate the competencies and practices of the community and hospital pharmacists. Results: 504 community pharmacists and 279 hospital pharmacists participated in the survey with an overall response rate of 85.5%. Almost half of the respondents ‘never’ or ‘sometimes’ made clinical notes in a journal or dispensing software to monitor ongoing opioid use. Generally, pharmacists were reluctant to collaborate with physicians or notify police regarding the abuse/misuse of opioids. Hospital pharmacists achieved significantly higher mean competency scores than chain and independent community pharmacists (p

Original language	English
Article number	e079507
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Number of pages	9
Journal	BMJ Open
Volume	13
Issue number	11
Early online date	21 Nov 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079507
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 21 Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

Keywords

primary care
hospitals
pain management
public health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079507

bmjopen-2023-079507.pdfFinal published version, 354 KBLicence: CC BY-NC

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Mubarak, N., Zahid, T., Rana, F. R., Ijaz, U.-E.-B., Shabbir, A., Manzoor, M., Khan, N., Arif, M., Naeem, M. M., Kanwal, S., Saif-ur-Rehman, N., Zin, C. S., Mahmood, K., Asgher, J., & Elnaem, M. H. (2023). 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. BMJ Open, 13(11), 1-9. Article e079507. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079507

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Mubarak, N, Zahid, T, Rana, FR, Ijaz, U-E-B, Shabbir, A, Manzoor, M, Khan, N, Arif, M, Naeem, MM, Kanwal, S, Saif-ur-Rehman, N, Zin, CS, Mahmood, K, Asgher, J & Elnaem, MH 2023, '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', BMJ Open, vol. 13, no. 11, e079507, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079507

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AU - Zahid, Taheer

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AU - Ijaz, Umm-E-Barirah

AU - Shabbir, Afshan

AU - Manzoor, Mahrukh

AU - Khan, Nahan

AU - Arif, Minahil

AU - Naeem, Muhammad Mehroz

AU - Kanwal, Sabba

AU - Saif-ur-Rehman, Nasira

AU - Zin, Che Suraya

AU - Mahmood, Khalid

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AU - Elnaem, Mohamed Hassan

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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

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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