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The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy advocates that pharmacists can have a significant impact on substance abuse prevention provided they receive adequate training. Continuing education programs are needed to enable practicing pharmacists to augment their limited education. This paper examines the process the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) used to develop a pilot continuing education program for pharmacists. With limited literature and a small number of pharmacy teaching about substance abuse, input on topics and training methods was obtained from a convenience sample of practicing pharmacists to enhance the information from the pharmacist faculty regarded as content experts. Results of this pilot study revealed lack of agreement between faculty and practicing pharmacists regarding the prioritizing of content and educational methods. Consequently, input must be obtained from targeted audiences instead of relying solely on the advice of identified academic content experts when designing continuing educational programs. Other professions should consider this process when designing continuing education programs. Pharmacists are poised to play an important role in the prevention of substance abuse problems, but they need continuing education about substance abuse.

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One of the most controversial areas for health care reform concerns the treatment of alcohol and other drug problems, which account for some of the most rapidly rising costs in the health care sector. There is arguably no other set of conditions that show such variation in accessibility to treatment on the basis of insurance status, present the same degree of difficulty in providing comprehensive care, or challenge as many public and professional assumptions about behavioral, social and economic determinants. The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the financing and coverage barriers to comprehensive treatment for alcohol and other drug abuse; to discuss some innovative mechanisms for providing and financing comprehensive services; and to suggest some directions for public policy to support the development of new practice models that emphasize cost-effectiveness and efficiency of care.

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