The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7496 p387
5 April 2008

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Pharmacists could improve access for drug misusers

Pharmacist prescribing could be used to improve access to treatments for drug misuse, according to a report published by the Scottish Government.

“Use of mechanisms such as non-medical prescribing (nursing and pharmacists) may bring potential for services to increase capacity,” it states.

The report concludes that services have focused on harm reduction and that the availability of treatments to achieve abstinence has been limited. It calls for a “person-centred approach” where harm reduction and abstinence are “aspects on the same continuum”.

The report notes that increasing the capacity of pharmacies to provide supervised and daily dispensing of drugs might be a challenge. “Local commissioners must ensure pharmacists are encouraged to be involved,” the report states.

“Use of approaches which assist pharmacists to manage Controlled Drugs (eg, computerised messaging systems, dispensing tools and storage facilities) as well as streamlined prescribing arrangements, training and support may ensure that access to adequate pharmacy places is available.”