(1193) Community Pharmacist, Intern, Technician, and Front Store Associate Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Over-the-counter Naloxone

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the current knowledge, attitude towards, and likelihood of assisting patients with access to naloxone intranasal spray. The FDA approved the over-the-counter (OTC) status of naloxone nasal spray on March 29, 2023, expanding access of this product for patients. Naloxone is a life-saving opioid antagonist that can be used in emergency situations to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. In 2022, approximately 79,770 opioid-related overdose deaths were reported in the United States. Naloxone is an important tool to address opioid overdose deaths, and OTC status may improve access to vulnerable communities across the country. Pharmacy and front store team members must be properly educated on naloxone to provide effective patient care and customer service in the community pharmacy setting.

Methods: To achieve the objectives of this observational study, an anonymous survey will be piloted to a small population of pharmacists, interns, technicians and front store associates in large chain stores and small independent pharmacies. Once validated, the survey will be distributed via email to community pharmacies across the state of Rhode Island as well as through the Department of Health public listserv database. The email will include a link as well as QR code for completing the survey. Survey respondents must be 18 years of age or older and currently work in the pharmacy or front store. Completion of the survey is optional and not required by the individual’s employer. All information collected will be anonymous. The 10-question survey administered via QualtricsTM will take approximately 5 minutes to complete, including questions focused on the individual’s attitude towards OTC naloxone, administration technique and likelihood of assisting with access or helping a customer obtain the product. Data will be translated into qualitative data and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Demographic data such as age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation will be utilized to examine if subgroups of individuals display significant differences in each category assessed. This research is pending approval by the University of Rhode Island Institutional Review Board (IRB) and data collection will start immediately upon approval.

Results: N/A. Data collection for this observational study will commence in November 2023 pending IRB-approval.

Conclusions: N/A. Our research team hypothesizes the results of this study may prompt the need for additional training of pharmacists, interns, technicians, and front store associates in Rhode Island on the administration, legal status, and stigma surrounding the use of OTC naloxone. The results will provide information to guide the creation of educational materials for community pharmacy-based employees about the use and importance of naloxone to improve patient access and health equity.