Characterizing Pharmacist Perspectives on Utilizing a Personalized Family Medication Safety Plan for Opioid Education with Adolescents and Parents

Background: Exposure to prescription opioids during adolescence is associated with an increased risk of future opioid misuse. The pervasive and growing impact of the opioid epidemic requires evidence-based, co-designed interventions targeted at adolescents. MedSMA℞T Families is an intervention tailored to educate adolescents and their families about opioid misuse prevention and consists of two parts: the MedSMA℞T: Adventures in PharmaCity videogame and the family medication safety plan (FMSP). Objective: This study sought to explore pharmacists’ perceptions of using the family medication safety plan to facilitate opioid education among parents and their adolescents. The purpose of this project was to also gather information for iterative adaptations to improve implementation and dissemination of the FMSP in pharmacy settings. Methods: Pharmacists were recruited from Pharmacy Practice Enhancement and Action Research Link (PearlRx) and the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW). Twenty-one pharmacist interviews were conducted between September 2021 and March 2022. Consenting pharmacists reviewed the FMSP. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. Inductive thematic analyses were performed using NVivo software. Results: Four prevalent themes emerged: (1) the purpose of FMSP as a communication tool, (2) instructions to clarify how to use FMSP, (3) barriers to using FMSP, and (4) suggestions to improve FMSP format. Most pharmacists described the FMSP as a tool to encourage interactive opioid conversations between adolescents, families, and pharmacists. Pharmacists suggested creating multiple customizable formats and incorporating instructions on how to use the FMSP. Conclusions: Pharmacists noted that the FMSP was an interactive and engaging communication tool to tailor opioid consultations with adolescents and their families. Patients might use the FMSP as a visual cue to help think of what question(s) they should ask pharmacists. Pharmacists stated that the FMSP could facilitate tailored opioid safety communication and medication consultations. Insights will inform future medication misuse prevention interventions as well as adaptation.