J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2024 Jan-Feb;64(1):71-78. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.10.014. Epub 2023 Oct 18.
Access to harm reduction materials was greatly disrupted during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Community pharmacies often continued provision of harm reduction materials as part of their usual operations during the pandemic, but little is known about what, if any, adaptations were made and the perceived impact of these actions from the perspective of pharmacy staff.
We explored how pharmacy staff across 4 states in 2 major pharmacy chains adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic for ongoing naloxone and over-the-counter (OTC) syringe access and how staff perceived the pandemic affected drug use in the community they served and their pharmacy's volume of syringe sales and naloxone provision.
We analyzed 134 pharmacy staff responses to a 12-month follow-up assessment for an educational intervention conducted in 2 pharmacy chains in Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Respondents answered closed- and open-ended questions collected online from July 2020 to February 2022. Questions measured prevalence of adaptations and perceived uptake of naloxone and OTC syringe services. Descriptive statistics summarized adaptations and perceived impact and chi-square tests explored differences by state and pharmacy chain. Open-ended responses were reviewed and analyzed to identify summary points and themes.
With few differences by state or pharmacy chain detected, pharmacy staff reported more naloxone mailing, requests by phone, streamlined counseling, and drive-thru provision adaptations to OTC syringe sales and naloxone provision during the pandemic. Most staff perceived adaptations as increasing or maintaining naloxone provision and OTC syringe sales. Respondents described specific aspects of the pharmacy that contributed to successful adaptations, including tailoring to specific product demand, inventory levels, drive-thru access, and a perception of extraordinary public health need at a time of and in places affected by the opioid crisis.
Pharmacy OTC syringe and naloxone access continued during the COVID-19 pandemic through streamlining workflows and innovating no-contact harm reduction services, reinforcing pharmacy's public health role.
在 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）期间，减少伤害材料的获取受到了极大的阻碍。社区药房通常在大流行期间继续提供减少伤害材料，作为其常规运营的一部分，但几乎不知道药房工作人员进行了哪些调整（如果有），以及他们对这些行动的看法。
我们探讨了 4 个州的 2 家主要连锁药房的药房工作人员如何适应 COVID-19 大流行，以持续提供纳洛酮和非处方（OTC）注射器，并了解工作人员如何看待大流行对他们所服务的社区的药物使用以及他们药房的注射器销售和纳洛酮供应的影响。
我们分析了俄勒冈州、华盛顿州、马萨诸塞州和新罕布什尔州的 2 家连锁药房进行的一项教育干预措施的 12 个月随访评估中 134 名药房工作人员的回复。从 2020 年 7 月到 2022 年 2 月，受访者在线回答了封闭式和开放式问题。问题衡量了适应措施的普遍性以及纳洛酮和 OTC 注射器服务的采用率。描述性统计数据总结了适应措施和感知影响，并通过卡方检验探讨了州和药房连锁店的差异。对开放式回复进行了审查和分析，以确定总结要点和主题。
除了州和药房连锁店之间几乎没有发现差异外，药房工作人员报告在大流行期间，OTC 注射器销售和纳洛酮供应的适应措施包括增加邮寄、电话请求、简化咨询和免下车服务。大多数工作人员认为这些适应措施增加或维持了纳洛酮的供应和 OTC 注射器的销售。受访者描述了药房成功适应的具体方面，包括根据特定产品需求、库存水平、免下车通道以及在阿片类药物危机时期和受其影响的地方对公众健康需求的感知进行调整。
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，通过简化工作流程和创新无接触减少伤害服务，药房继续提供 OTC 注射器和纳洛酮，加强了药房的公共卫生作用。
