NCJ Number
198633
Journal
Addiction Volume: 97 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 1405-1411
Date Published
November 2002
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article assesses the current level of community pharmacy services for drug abusers in Scotland.
Abstract
The authors were interested in measuring the changes in community pharmacy services for drug abusers that have occurred over the past 7 years in Scotland due to the Scottish Drugs Task Force Review (1995) and the Review of Drug Treatment Services in England. These documents were the first to advocate methadone treatment as part of a harm reduction strategy. In order to assess the level of pharmacist cooperation, the authors mailed a cross-sectional questionnaire to all community pharmacies in Scotland. The authors analyzed responses from 969 pharmacists about their drug abuse services and training. This data were compared to an identical survey that was administered 5 years previously in order to compare the changes made as a result of the government strategy. Findings revealed that levels of needle exchange had not significantly changed during the 5 year period. However, 71.5 percent of pharmacists reported that they now dispensed drugs for the management of drug abuse, 68.9 percent dispensed methadone, and 56.7 percent provided a supervised methadone treatment program. Also, the number of drug abusers seeking assistance at community pharmacies increased from 3,387 during 1995 to 8,792 during 2000. Finally, the number of pharmacists who offered a supervised methadone treatment program increased from 37 percent in 1995 to 82.8 percent in 2000. In conclusion, the authors state that the participation of pharmacists in the management of drug abuse has significantly increased since the government documents were issued. Perhaps as a result of greater training, pharmacists are now more proactive in providing services and advice on drug abuse. Tables, reference