Facilitating Buprenorphine Access Through Pharmacist Peer Outreach

A study found that most pharmacies in 12 Appalachian counties of Kentucky were limiting dispensing of buprenorphine, a medication for opioid use disorder (OUD), or weren’t dispensing it at all. In this project, the team will develop and test an academic detailing intervention to modify pharmacists’ behavior and facilitate access to buprenorphine for OUD in Appalachian Kentucky. Focus groups of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from high- and low-dispensing counties will be conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to buprenorphine dispensing. Trained pharmacists will then conduct visits and webinars with 160 pharmacies in 20 low-prescribing counties to deliver education intended to reduce stigma, mitigate dispensing barriers, and increase pharmacists’ confidence in buprenorphine dispensing.