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Lookup NU author(s): Ogochukwu Offu, Dr Daniel OkeowoORCiD, Dr Shelina VisramORCiD, Dr Adam RathboneORCiD, Dr Laura LindseyORCiD
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Aim This study aims to identify factors that influence the role of community pharmacy teams in preventing prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) opioid misuse.Design Qualitative design using interviews; thematic analysis was used to generate themes mapped to the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Behaviour (COM-B) model.Setting Community pharmacies in North East England.Participants 28 community pharmacy staff including 16 pharmacists, 1 pharmacy assistant, 10 dispensers and 1 pharmacy technician.Results Factors related to the capability component include communication skills, ability to identify service users who misuse OTC opioids, and education and training. Factors in the opportunity component include staff and funding, tools for identification and referral of service users at risk of opioid misuse, and relationship with other healthcare professionals. For the motivation component, attitude towards role, attitude of pharmacist or pharmacy manager, perception about commissioners and commissioned services, and attitude towards service users were identified.Conclusion This study identified factors that could influence community pharmacists’ roles in opioid misuse. A critical factor influencing community pharmacy teams preventing opioid misuse is access to a single system to record the use of both OTC and prescription opioids. This would enable teams to identify service users misusing or at risk of misusing opioids, while supporting staff education and training and regulatory compliance. Future research should focus on developing interventions using these identified factors to enhance community pharmacists’ roles in opioid misuse prevention.
Author(s): Offu OF, Okeowo D, Visram S, Rathbone AP, Lindsey L
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMJ Open
Year: 2025
Volume: 15
Issue: 5
Online publication date: 12/05/2025
Acceptance date: 24/04/2025
Date deposited: 13/05/2025
ISSN (electronic): 2044-6055
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099801
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-099801
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