Enhancing Pharmacist Involvement in Care in Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence – An implementation project in regional Victoria
Investigators: Professor Suzanne Nielsen, Dr Ali Cheetham.
There is an urgent need for innovations to expand access to Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) in Victoria, particularly in regional areas where workforce shortages and travel distances can create barriers to treatment.
The EPIC-MATOD project has developed a collaborative model of care for MATOD where prescribers delegate regular clinical reviews, dose adjustments, and treatment oversight to a trained and accredited pharmacist working within a treatment plan. A pilot study in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne indicated that collaborative care is feasible and acceptable, and provides a standard of care that meets or exceeds usual care. Work is now underway to support national scale-up of the model through a separate implementation study.
With the support of the Victorian Department of Health, the EPIC-MATOD model is being implemented in regional areas of Victoria with a high level of need for increased MATOD access. In the first year of the project (2025–2026), participating pharmacies were recruited across the Loddon Mallee and Grampians regions, including Ouyen, Stawell, Boort, Kangaroo Flat, Swan Hill, Bendigo, Horsham and Maddingley. In the second year (2026–2027), the project is continuing to support participating pharmacies while expanding recruitment into Gippsland and Western Victoria.
To support sustainability beyond the trial, experienced MATOD pharmacists who work in the regions (e.g., contracted or employed by the relevant PABN) have been engaged as EPIC-MATOD mentors. EPIC-MATOD mentors assist in liaising with local providers and provide ongoing support to pharmacists using a train-the-trainer approach.
Extensively reviewed clinical practice guidelines, an accredited training module, and translational materials to support pharmacists and prescribers in implementing the model of care have already been developed through earlier phases of research. The project will evaluate implementation outcomes, quality of care, patient retention, and the experiences of pharmacists, prescribers and patients to inform future scale-up of the model.
If you are a community pharmacist or prescriber in the Loddon-Mallee, Grampians, Gippsland, or Western Victoria regions and you are interested in EPIC-MATOD, please get in touch:
suzanne.nielsen@monash.edu (Study PI)
Project Funder: Victorian Department of Health