Retail chain pharmacy opioid dispensing practices from 1997 to 2020: A content analysis of internal industry documents.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Lawsuits have determined that community pharmacy chains played a crucial role in the opioid epidemic. However, little research has assessed community pharmacy practices. This study sought to understand the contribution of pharmacies to the opioid epidemic through improper opioid prescription dispensing.

Methods

We conducted an observational, retrospective content analysis that assessed the opioid dispensing practices of a retail community pharmacy chain, Walgreens, using pharmaceutical industry documents released in litigation between 1997 and 2020. The documents were retrieved from the Opioids Industry Document Archive (OIDA) at the University of California, San Francisco and reviewed to identify themes and identify organizational practices.

Findings

We ident

SUBMITTER: Chiu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10713840 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature