Pharmacy-Based Harm Reduction Services

Pharmacy staff are highly accessible healthcare providers due to their presence in community pharmacies with extended hours, hospital settings, multidisciplinary teams, outreach models, and community-facing services. Pharmacists were the dominant focus of the literature, while pharmacy technicians and assistants were rarely studied. Harm reduction services delivered by pharmacy staff were generally reported as feasible, effective, and safe across included studies. Key implementation enablers for pharmacy-based harm reduction include multidisciplinary teamwork, leadership support, staff champions, harm reduction partnerships, and trauma-informed care. Common implementation barriers include reimbursement difficulties, lack of private space, limited training, and stigma toward people who use drugs. Pharmacy staff roles in harm reduction span from education, counselling, and dispensing to autonomous prescribing, medication management, and drug-checking services.