The use of motivational interviewing (MI) techniques to treat methadone patients in pharmacies does not "significantly reduce" heroin use but does improve communication between drug users and pharmacists, researchers have found.

Pharmacists in Scotland, who used MI techniques to initiate conversations with their methadone patients, saw little difference in clinical outcomes compared with pharmacists who delivered supervised consumption as normal, according to a study published in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice.          

However, the researchers did find that significantly more patients who were treated by the MI-trained pharmacists said the pharmacist had "spoken more" and that they had found the discussions useful.

Despite the insignificant clinical impact, researchers found that significantly more patients treated using MI techniques found the discussions useful	More on methadone Supervised consumption spend falls 10 per cent       under coalition Emma Weinbren: Government must not ignore vital       role of methadone Change in supervised consumption spend by       PCT 2009-12 MORE NEWS
	More than 500 patients who had been on methadone for less than two years were recruited by 76 pharmacies across Scotland for the two and a half-year trial.

Some of the pharmacists were trained in MI techniques by the Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol team, in order to test whether the use of specific communication skills could help patients cut down on their illicit heroin use.

This involved learning how to use open questions, reflective listening and affirming and eliciting ‘change talk' to help drug users set their own goals and how they could achieve them, the researchers said.

Following the six-month trial, there was a 16 per cent drop in the number of heroin users who were treated by MI trained pharmacists and a 19 per cent drop among those who received their normal treatment, researchers from Aberdeen University, Substance Misuse NHS Grampian and Advantage Training Consultancy found.

However, there was a "significant improvement in treatment satisfaction over time" among those treated by MI trained pharmacists, the researchers said.

"[This] may be because intervention patients felt happier in the pharmacy, owing to more and possibly better communication with the pharmacist," the researchers said. 

Co-author of the report and Aberdeen University senior research fellow Catriona Matheson said MI was a worthwhile technique for pharmacists to use. It was about "self-motivation" to help drug users make decisions about their own health, she told C+D this week.

Aberdeen contractor Stuart Notman who participated in the pilot said the impact of MI was "huge" and was "four or five minutes well spent".  

"It may look like something that's really small and insignificant. But the impact can be huge and could be huge for pharmacy. It can raise pharmacy's profile and can help save lives," he told C+D.  

Contractor Martin Bennett, of Wicker Pharmacy in Sheffield, said he had not received MI technique training but did use similar techniques when treating his methadone patients. He called for "effective funding" to allow more pharmacists to receive the training. 

Would motivational interviews for heroin addicts be worthwhile in your pharmacy? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook