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Introduction: This article aims to characterise hospital admissions involving opioid toxicity across South Australia to guide future implementation and evaluation of risk mitigation strategies. Methods: International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition codes (T40.0–T40.4) were used to identify admissions involving pre‐hospital opioid toxicity in public hospitals across South Australia from 1 June 2017 to 30 August 2020. Demographic and episode of care data were extracted and summarised using descriptive statistics. Admission cost estimates were calculated using Independent Hospital Pricing Authority data. Results: A total of 2046 cases met the criteria for inclusion; over half (56%) were female and median age on admission was 44 years (interquartile range 27 years). Where opioid toxicity was the primary diagnosis, 70% of admissions did not specify the responsible opioid and 23% were related to heroin use. One‐fifth of admissions occurred outside of metropolitan Adelaide. Individuals living in an area of relative socio‐economic disadvantage were over‐represented. Over half of admissions required a stay >24 h; 19% were admitted for ≥5 days, 22% required intensive care and ~10% required mechanical ventilation. The total estimated cost of admissions involving opioid toxicity in South Australia over the 3‐year period was $18,230,546.50, equating to $5.6 million per annum. Discussions and Conclusions: These findings highlight the significant personal, fiscal, and systemic impacts of opioid toxicity‐related hospital admissions in South Australia and provide a baseline to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to reduce opioid‐related harm, including real‐time prescription monitoring and take‐home naloxone supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the treatment of opioid dependence through long-acting buprenorphine, emphasizing its benefits and drawbacks, as well as the role of pharmacies in facilitating opioid agonist therapy. It also discusses the perspectives of individuals receiving treatment with long-acting injectable buprenorphine and the potential for pharmacist administration of this treatment, highlighting the importance of appropriate facilities.

In today's complex healthcare landscape, exacerbated by resource constraints at various levels, optimization of health professionals' roles is becoming increasingly paramount. Interprofessional collaboration, underpinned by role recognition and teamwork, leads to improved patient and organizational outcomes. Hospital pharmacists play a pivotal role in multidisciplinary teams, and it is imperative to understand multidisciplinary viewpoints on hospital pharmacists' roles to guide role prioritization and organizational efficiency. However, no study extensively investigated multidisciplinary views on values of diverse pharmacist roles in tertiary settings. This study aims to address this gap by examining non-pharmacist health professionals' views on hospital pharmacists' roles, recognizing their specialized niches as a crucial step towards optimizing their roles and services in Australia and internationally. Multiple focus group discussions and interviews were held via a virtual conferencing platform. Study participants were recruited using the study investigators' professional networks who were non-pharmacist health professionals with experience working with pharmacists in hospital settings. Data were collected from transcripts of the focus group recordings, which were later summarized using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Overarching themes were categorized and mapped against work system models to conceptualize organizational implications of multidisciplinary feedback, linking them to patient and organizational outcomes. Twenty-seven health professionals participated across focus groups and interviews, with the majority of professions being doctors and nurses. Three major themes were identified as follows: (i) overarching perceptions regarding hospital pharmacists; (ii) professional niches of hospital pharmacists; and (iii) future opportunities to optimize hospital pharmacy services. Valued professional niches included patient and health professional educators, transition-of-care facilitators, and quality use of medicines analysts. The study highlights critical insights into hospital pharmacists' roles in Australia, identifying their niche expertise as vital to healthcare efficiency and success. Based on multidisciplinary feedback, the study advocates for strategic role optimization and targeted research for enhanced clinical, economic, and organizational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]