The misuse of codeine containing medicines: Perceptions and behaviours of qualified pharmacy professionals
South African Family Practice
| Field | Value | |
| Title | The misuse of codeine containing medicines: Perceptions and behaviours of qualified pharmacy professionals | |
| Creator | Bronkhorst, Elmien Adamjee, Munira Poka, Madan | |
| Description | Background: Pharmacy professionals working in community pharmacies frequently provide pharmacist-initiated therapy, including codeine-containing medicines. Codeine is an opioid with great potential for misuse, adding to the global opioid epidemic burden. Professional pharmacy personnel are the first intervention point in relation to management of codeine use. This study highlights the importance of pharmacy professionals’ perceptions and behaviours in combatting the opioid epidemic.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Simple random sampling included pharmacy professionals in the metropolitan city of Johannesburg. An electronic questionnaire was distributed via e-mail and data analysed descriptively.Results: Findings indicate that pharmacy personnel routinely ask patients about codeine use (n = 48; 53.9%), avoid dispensing over-the-counter (OTC) codeine as an initial treatment (n = 61; 69%) and express confidence to identify and manage codeine misuse (n = 69; 77.5%). Despite this, increased patient demands for OTC codeine (n = 69; 77.5%) were concerning, highlighting the ease of availability from internet sources (n = 76; 85.4%) and multiple pharmacies (n = 84; 94.4%). Apprehension about the lack of patient awareness on adverse health consequences (n = 66; 74.2%) and the risk of codeine dependence (n = 79; 88.8%) was expressed.Conclusion: Growing concern regarding availability and accessibility of codeine-containing medicines within the community pharmacy sector is highlighted. Adverse health consequences of codeine misuse and dependence are not understood by customers and the ineffective information provided by pharmacy personnel was highlighted as a concern.Contribution: The results of this study give insight to the influence of dispensing personnel’s attitude towards the growing challenges with respect to codeine containing medication abuse. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2024-05-10 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/safp.v66i1.5862 | |
| Source | South African Family Practice; Vol 66, No 1 (2024): Part 2; 7 pages 2078-6204 2078-6190 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5862/8782
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5862/8783
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5862/8784
https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5862/8785
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