Delivering MOUD to the underserved: How can pharmacies really help?

This is the primary outcomes paper for CTN-0124.

This paper aims to address the challenges in providing adequate access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUDs) within underserved areas by examining the potential role of pharmacies and proposing actionable strategies for improvement. The health system faces increasing criticism for failure to provide adequate access to MOUDs. Pharmacies are being promoted as an asset to increase MOUD access in rural and underserved areas.

Method: An engineering systems analysis approach was employed to investigate ways to enhance pharmacy roles in delivering MOUDs in underserved regions. Interviews were conducted with community pharmacists, pharmacy associations, and addiction treatment experts. Innovation development techniques with experts from inside and outside the field were used to create recommendations.

Results: The findings underscore the importance of embracing technological advancements to overcome resource limitations and expand MOUD access in underserved areas. When our project began, we believed pharmacy roles related to MOUD distribution could expand through traditional means. We now feel that expansion is practical only through adoption of recent developments in information and communication technology. Our recommendations offer actionable strategies to expand MOUD availability in underserved areas. Technological changes can address stigma and mindsets, workflow simplification, family engagement, integration with other parts of the health system, reimbursement practice, and regulation.

Conclusions: Implementing pertinent technological innovations could augment MOUD availability within the pharmacy sector, thus addressing the pressing need for improved access to treatment in underserved communities. These technological changes would expand MOUD access within a field constrained by limited and diminishing resources.

Related protocols: CTN-0124