ArticleExploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy2026
Pilot evaluation of a pharmacist-led technical assistance program to address buprenorphine dispensing in community pharmacies.
Article in Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Pharmacy-based barriers, including stigma and prescriber communication difficulties, can limit patient access to buprenorphine. Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of a pharmacist-led technical assistance (TA) program in addition to an online training to support buprenorphine dispensing in community pharmacies. Methods: A mixed-methods pilot study was conducted between February and November 2025 with five North Carolina community pharmacists. Participants completed an online training, approximately six meetings with a pharmacist TA, and two standardized patient interactions (one interaction before and after TA was complete). TAs tracked their time, and semi-structured interviews assessed feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness. Results: Pharmacists found the TA sessions acceptable and useful because they addressed site-specific needs, including communication with staff, patients, and prescribers; wholesaler thresholds; red flags; telehealth prescribing concerns; and filling bridge scripts. Pharmacists particularly valued learning from a peer with dispensing experience. Regarding feasibility, pharmacists emphasized the importance of an in-person visit followed by 13-22-min virtual follow-up sessions and recommended expanding the program to additional staff. Communication with SPs improved after receiving TA, though stigmatizing language persisted. Conclusion: A pharmacist-led TA model was feasible, acceptable, and useful for addressing practice barriers to buprenorphine dispensing.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.