Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kadhem Al-Khateeb, the Scientific Affairs Unit at the College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad, held an in-person workshop titled “Exploring the Factors Influencing Treatment Acceptance among Patients with Substance Use Disorder in Iraq,” delivered by Assistant Professor Dr. Ali Azeez Ali, a faculty member in the Clinical Pharmacy Department.
The workshop aimed to investigate the complex factors that affect acceptance of treatment among individuals with substance use disorder in Iraq, and to explore healthcare providers’ perspectives on acceptance of treatment management within this patient group.
The workshop presented research findings from the Department of Clinical Pharmacy on the factors that encourage people who use substances to seek treatment at specialized centers, most notably: the proximity of the treatment center to the patient’s governorate, not being subject to legal questioning or prosecution when seeking treatment, ongoing encouragement and support from family and awareness campaigns on social media
The workshop concluded by emphasizing the importance of facilitating access to treatment by helping people who use substances find a specialized, nearby center that provides appropriate care; improving the environment of treatment centers; training health and medical staff to engage professionally and compassionately with patients with addiction in line with evidence-based best practices; and encouraging women to attend addiction treatment centers and receive care on an equal footing with men, with a clear emphasis on not preventing them from seeking appropriate treatment.
