(1192) Analyzing Perceptions of Oklahoma and Arkansas Pharmacy Professionals in a Large Chain on Over-the-counter Medication Misuse in the Community

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: 1) Assess the baseline knowledge and confidence levels of pharmacy professionals employed by a major pharmacy chain in Oklahoma and Arkansas concerning the misuse potential of four OTC substances, including dextromethorphan, first generation antihistamines (chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, and doxylamine), loperamide, and pseudoephedrine. 2) Examine how demographic factors among pharmacy professionals relate to the baseline knowledge of OTC substance misuse. 3) Evaluate the impact of a brief educational intervention regarding OTC substance misuse on the change of knowledge for pharmacy professionals.

Methods: For this study, a Qualtrics™ survey will be used. Participants in this study will consist of Oklahoma and Arkansas pharmacy professionals within a large retail chain. Pharmacy professionals will be defined as individuals regulated by a board of pharmacy and employed in their state to perform tasks under said license/permit, including pharmacists, technicians, and pharmacy interns.
The survey will be sent out via the individual pharmacy stores’ email address for participants to complete on company computers. The email will contain a link to the initial survey, as well as dates and times for 5 to 10 live, interactive Microsoft Teams presentations that will take place over 2 weeks and will involve a 5-to-10-minute discussion on OTC substance misuse. For those wanting to participate that are unable to make a live session, a second email will be sent out 2 weeks later with a link to a recording of one of the sessions. Participants will be instructed to complete the initial survey, consisting of 10 to 15 questions asking about participant demographics and OTC substance misuse knowledge, before attending a presentation. At the end of the session, participants will be given a link to the post-education survey, containing 10 to 15 questions asking about knowledge of OTC substance misuse and rating confidence of educating patients/caregivers/providers on the topic. Once this is complete, participants will be directed to an optional incentive drawing for 2 gift cards. The survey will be piloted with a small sample size of pharmacy professionals to ensure clarify of the questions. The live sessions are anticipated to take place in January 2024, and the recorded session is anticipated to be available until the end of February.
Completion of the survey will constitute as consent to participate. Participation in the study is voluntary, and all information will be de-identified. The study will be sent to the University Institutional Review Board for approval, and data will be analyzed with descriptive and quantitative statistics.

Results: Research in progress.

Conclusions: Research in progress.