Experiences, attitudes and training needs of pharmacy support staff providing services to drug users in Great Britain: A qualitative study

Abstract

Community pharmacies play an important role in providing services to drug users, having provided needle exchange and substitution therapy services for a number of years. Previous studies of these services and the problems faced in implementing them have focused on the attitude and experiences of pharmacists. However, with the increasing use of pharmacy support staff in a range of expanded roles, it is also appropriate to consider this group. This article aims to qualitatively explore the experiences, attitudes, and training needs of pharmacy support staff involved in providing services to drug users. Copies of the questionnaire were issued to a 10% sample of community pharmacies and distributed to up to five support staff working in the pharmacy. The questionnaire asked open questions regarding training needs, personal experiences and attitudes. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed according to Grounded Theory in NVivo v7. 454 respondents made qualitative comments. The data demonstrated a strong desire among some support staff to be further involved in support services. However, many expressed negative attitudes towards drug users and some considered pharmacies as inappropriate venues for providing services to this group. Identified training needs focused on four key areas: advising and working with drug users; the nature of drug use; treatment services and their availability; and clinical and legal detail. Knowledge gaps were evident in some of the responses, most notably a misunderstanding of service aims and intended outcomes. All those involved in designing and delivering pharmacy services to drug users should ensure that they take account of and involve support staff when developing training.