Pharmacists' role in the continued care of patients under opiate substitution treatment.

CONTEXT: In France, over 170 000 persons benefit from opiate substitution treatment. The treatment delivery is most often assured by community pharmacies spread out throughout the territory. The aim of this study is to better know the continued care of individuals treated by methadone or high-dose buprenorphine in community pharmacies in Lille (North of France).

METHOD: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study with hand-delivered questionnaires. All pharmacies (n=65) in Lille were included.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight of pharmacies (89%) responded to the survey and 55 of them (95%) followed patients treated by opiate substitution treatment. Addiction was considered as an illness by 53 of pharmacists (91%). Confidential discussions could only be conducted at one of every two treatment delivery work station.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacists are active in the continued care of individuals treated by opiate substitution treatment. They have a privileged relationship with the general practitioner. A rearrangement of pharmacies' premises could foster the development of therapeutic patient education within the pharmacy.