Peer Recovery Support Specialist Reduces Stigma in a Contact Based Intervention Among Pharmacy Students

Background: Despite the proven effectiveness of medications for opioid use disorder, the US continues to see record numbers of overdose deaths. Health professionals' attitudes towards opioid disorders impact their ability to manage this public challenge. Misconceptions and beliefs among health professionals create barriers in management of opioid use disorders (MOUD). Pharmacists play a vital role in battling this epidemic. It is therefore prudent to target pharmacy students in any educational projects and training programs to reduce stigma towards substance abuse disorders.
Methods: We used a one-group pretest/posttest design to examine the effects of a contact-based interactive intervention delivered by a Peer Recovery Support Specialist on perceived stigma of opioid use disorder among third-year pharmacy students (n=115). Stigma was measured using the Brief Opioid Stigma Scale.
Results: Our study found significant differences in students’ perceived stigma, both their personal beliefs and their beliefs regarding the general public toward opioid use disorder. These results support the use of interactive presentations by Peer Recovery Support Specialists to decrease perceived stigma of opioid use disorder by health professionals.
Discussion: Management of Opioid use disorders (OUD) requires a multi-faceted approach. This study examined an interactive, contact-based intervention conducted by a Peer Recovery Support Specialist, with lived history of substance use and professional experience working with people in all stages of recovery. Educational programs focusing on SUD for pharmacy students are usually lecture-based, occasionally including a presentation from someone in recovery. this study differed in that it offered the dual perspective of a patient and a professional peer. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the intervention had a favorable influence on students’ personal perceptions and their perceptions of others’ beliefs toward a person who uses illicit opioids, which supports existing research on SUD educational interventions, and may extend to students