Six PharmD students win OPA award for pitching free drug safety app
“The first step to being safe is being aware.”
This slogan led to the development of RxAWARE, a drug safety app created to engage directly with people about their drug use while increasing access to health care services and preventing overdoses and the spread of infectious diseases—which would ultimately improve the overall quality of life.
Six Doctor of Pharmacy students from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy had the goal to foster harm reduction through the app at the top of their minds: Emilie Barleben, P3, captain of the group, presenter; Haylie Behnke, P3, presenter; Carrie Brunken, P2, presenter; Morgan Crawford, P3, presenter; Amelia Le, P3, presenter; and Deborah Kisbedo, P2.
The group pitched their idea to the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) and won OPA’s Innovative Pharmacy Business Plan Competition. It was the first team from the College of Pharmacy to win first place and the first group from the college to reach the top three in a few years.
“We acknowledge the fact that there is definitely a high population of people using illicit substances,” Barleben said. “Patients not being ready or being embarrassed about talking with their provider about drug abuse or not knowing the implications of using illicit substances is more common than people think.”
Through RxAWARE, patients and their families and friends can anonymously access accurate and unbiased drug information, emergency educational guidance and local resources for seeking help.
The app provides education on the top 20 abused illicit substances and information on how they would interact with various prescription combinations patients might already be taking.
If emergency situations arise, RxAWARE provides patients and their support groups information on what to do when experiencing an overdose, how to administer and find Narcan, CPR tips, what to do when someone is experiencing a seizure or withdrawal symptoms, and advice when a user believes a substance has been tampered with.
The app can connect patients to local resources when they are needed. Patients can find information about local hospitals and clinics that are willing to accept patients for free or at a reduced cost so that patients can receive safe and professional care. Patients can also find resources to help them find HIV, STD and pregnancy screenings, regular check-ups, test strips, and sterile syringes.
While the app is not a replacement for talking to a health care provider, the group sees it as an extra resource to potentially save lives.
“We created this resource for patients and their family and friends to learn more and be able to help if a situation happens,” Barleben said. “The app is an extra step patients can take before they feel comfortable to talk to a provider.”
The team presented their business pitch at OPA’s Annual Conference on April 15. They competed against several other Ohio colleges and schools of pharmacy. The team was awarded $750 and has a plaque with their names being displayed at OPA’s office.
“I am amazed at the creative and innovative solution that these students developed to solve such a complex and important health care problem,” said Donnie Sullivan, RPh, PhD, professor-clinical of pharmacy education and innovation.