Act for the Future of Community Pharmacy.

Community pharmacies serve as a vital gateway to primary care and public health, offering face-to-face pharmacist expert care to assure safe and effective medication use. However, they are disappearing at an alarming rate, with 20-30% of all community pharmacy locations projected to close within the next year. The objective of this commentary is to highlight the critical need for systemic reforms and collective action within our profession to address the unique challenges faced by community pharmacies, ensuring their sustainability and continued role in providing essential healthcare services for patients.

Association of Average Daily Morphine Milligram Equivalents and Falls in Older Adult Chronic Opioid Users.

Opioids remain commonly prescribed in older adults, despite the known association with falls and fall-related injuries. This retrospective cohort study sought to determine the association of opioid use and falls in older adult opioid users. Using a one-year lookback period in electronic health records, daily morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) were calculated using prescription orders.

Assessing pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices of opioid management within different patient populations.

Background: Racial disparities in drug overdose exist, with black, indigenous, and Hispanic individuals experiencing higher rates of opioid overdose deaths. Opioid use disorder prevention services, such as opioid deprescribing and naloxone dispensing, have been identified as ways to prevent opioid overdose. Pharmacists can help use these strategies, but racial disparities in use exist.

Provision of Patient Care Services and Goals for Expansion in Community and Ambulatory Care Pharmacies in Southeastern North Carolina.

In February 2022, the North Carolina legislature expanded pharmacist dispensing authority without a prescription. We conducted a cross-sectional interview of currently licensed pharmacy managers of outpatient pharmacies located in five counties in southeastern North Carolina. Pharmacy managers were eligible to participate if their pharmacy was either a community pharmacy, clinic-based pharmacy, or outpatient health system pharmacy.