Survey of knowledge of legal highs (novel psychoactive substances) amongst London pharmacists

Abstract

Purpose: To determine pharmacists' knowledge of legal highs (novel psychoactive substances; NPS). Approach:A questionnaire was handed out at 2 London pharmacist continuing education events in mid-2014. These events update pharmacists about developments of interest/relevance to the profession and to improve their practice. A total of 54 forms were returned; a response rate of 26%.Findings: Most pharmacists had poor knowledge of NPS and many considered that NPS were not important to their work, with few having had to advise customers in this area. Despite this, the majority thought that they had insufficient information about NPS. There was a negative correlation between the age of the pharmacist and knowledge of NPS. Research Limitations:The sample is a self-selected one drawn from registered pharmacists working in community pharmacies in North West London, and thus does not include hospital pharmacies. Self-selection means that respondents may only reflect those who are interested in the NPS phenomenon and not the wider pharmacy community. The geographical area covered may not be representative of London as a whole, or indeed other parts of the UK or other EU countries. Practical and Social Implications:It is clear that pharmacists do not know much about NPS but would like to know more. This information might improve their practice. Pharmacists, easier to see than general practitioners, could be a useful source of information for NPS misusers.Originality: There have been no previous attempts to gauge the level of knowledge by pharmacists of legal highs/novel psychoactive substances in the UK or elsewhere to our knowledge.2

Intended and unintended use of cathinone mixtures

“…Raising confidence of health care professions in managing toxicity resulting from NPS is still needed (Wood, Ceronie, & Dargan, ). Therefore, raising awareness and education of health care professionals on NPS health harms, interventions, harm reduction techniques, and referral pathways are of paramount importance (Guirguis et al, ).…”

Exploring the Baseline Knowledge and Experience of Healthcare Professionals in the United Kingdom on Novel Psychoactive Substances

“…Previous studies have addressed the inadequacy in essential knowledge and skills required by HCPs on NPS to inform various interventions and highlighted the need for education on these novel molecules [38][39][40][41][42][43]. However, several studies only focused on specific professions and geographical locations in the UK [40][41][42][43]. The deficit in general knowledge on NPS may lead to inappropriate medical diagnoses and potentially the provision of inappropriate medical advice or interventions.…”

“…The deficit in general knowledge on NPS may lead to inappropriate medical diagnoses and potentially the provision of inappropriate medical advice or interventions. Guirguis et al [40] distributed a revised 'ReDNet' survey utilised initially by Simonato et al [44]. This was an anonymous questionnaire that was part of a project funded by the European Commission to provide updates about NPS-related information [45,46].…”

“…Both online and paper-copy surveys were utilised (Figure 1). The survey consisted of 31 questions, adapted from the 'ReDNet' survey, used initially by Simonato et al [44], which was revised by Guirguis et al [40], and updated with more recent NPS compounds. The survey questions included respondents' demographic information (gender, age, health sector, profession, working town and country).…”

“…There were no pilot studies for this survey as it was adapted with a few minor amendments, such as updating the list of NPS (Table S1), from the same survey instrument used by Guirguis et al [40]. The study targeted all pharmacists in the UK who are members of both the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP), as well as other healthcare professionals within substance misuse and mental health services.…”