In June, each community pharmacy in Alberta should have received a shipment of brochures to give to individuals prescribed or sold opioid medications. The brochures are intended to help Albertans understand their pharmacist’s role in assessing medication risk, explain why pharmacists ask the questions they ask during an assessment, and provide background information about ACP’s opioid guidelines, introduced in 2017.
As some individuals object to giving pharmacists the same information they’ve already given their physician, the brochures can help support pharmacy teams through the assessment process.
We want to make sure community pharmacies and their patients are getting the most out of the brochures, so here are a few helpful hints to do just that:
The more you’re familiar with the information provided in the brochure, the more likely you are to provide them to your patients and answer any follow-up questions they may have. Again, the brochures could be the catalyst for important conversations with your patients.
- Read the brochure for yourself – The more you’re familiar with the information provided in the brochure, the more likely you are to provide them to your patients and answer any follow-up questions they may have. Again, the brochures could be the catalyst for important conversations with your patients.
- Provide a brochure to every individual who is using opioids for the first time – Individuals who have never used opioids before may have questions about the medication and may feel the pharmacist’s questions during the assessment are intrusive. Provide a brochure the individual can read while they’re waiting for their prescription to be filled. That way, the individual will be more prepared for your questions during the assessment.
- Keep the brochures visible and accessible – The brochures will be most effective when individuals can easily access them. They might even be good conversation starters for you and your patients. Have the brochures at hand, right up front, rather than placing them in a self-selection section of your pharmacy.
These brochures will hopefully support pharmacists in conducting opioid assessments by informing the public about the pharmacists’ responsibilities in the process and why assessments are so important for their health.
If you haven’t received any opioid brochures from ACP yet, or would like to order more, please reach out to our communications team at communications@abpharmacy.ca.
