U.S. student pharmacist perceptions of the pharmacist’s role in methadone for opioid use disorder: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Of the over 20 million Americans reporting an opioid use disorder, only around 3 million report receiving treatment of any kind. The gold standard for opioid use disorder treatment is medication in combination with psychosocial support, but despite robust evidence supporting treatment, barriers are substantial and include limited insurance coverage, patient beliefs, ease of access, regulatory hurdles, and stigma. Although trained as medication experts, U.S. pharmacists are not routinely involved in opioid use disorder treatment and may represent an underutilized care team member. OBJECTIVE: To explore U.S. pharmacy students’ perspectives on pharmacists as providers of methadone-based medications for opioid use disorder treatment. METHODS: A qualitative design with focus groups of student pharmacists in a U.S. college of pharmacy in the Southeastern United States. RESULTS: Over 2 months in 2020, three focus groups were conducted with 15 students in each group participating, and including second-, third-, and fourth-year student pharmacists. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (1) student pharmacists desire exposure to therapeutic knowledge and lived experiences related to opioid use disorder and methadone treatment, (2) students perceive stigmatizing views held by practicing pharmacists toward opioid use disorder and methadone treatment, (3) pharmacists should play a role in methadone treatment. CONCLUSION: Student pharmacists desire an active and larger role in the care of patients managing opioid use disorder. Findings indicate these students perceive less stigma toward opioid use disorder than currently practicing pharmacists. Pharmacy curricula should emphasize stories of lived experiences of patients with opioid use disorder, therapeutic knowledge and guidelines related to medications for opioid use disorder, and the regulatory environment surrounding opioid use disorder treatment.