Opioid substitution treatment services in community pharmacies

Operational aspects of providing opioid substitution treatment (OST), methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone, in a community pharmacy.

This course provides practical knowledge to support a service that is safe, effective, professional, accurate, legally compliant, and valuable to the client’s recovery journey. The pharmacist must ensure, foremost, that OST services are provided respectfully, non-judgmentally, and are recovery-oriented.

Pharmacists providing OST services are encouraged to review section one of the New Zealand Practice Guidelines for Opioid Substitution Treatment 2025, particularly pages 14 and 19, which discuss harm reduction and the principles of recovery. These principles are central to the provision of OST in New Zealand. Page 18 of the guidelines also outlines the objectives of OST.

Acknowledgements

Content developed by Maryam Behayaa, Addiction Pharmacist and Pharmacist Prescriber, with support from the Auckland Opioid Treatment Services Pharmacy Team, and reviewed by Nikki Anderson, Senior Addictions Pharmacist.

This eLearning is sponsored with an unrestricted educational grant from: