LINC Publishes Illustrated Case Highlighting the Essential Role of Interprofessional Teamwork in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders
Dr. Joseph Zorek, LINC Executive Director, recently partnered with Kirk Evoy, PharmD from the University of Texas at Austin and Cody Wenthur, PharmD, PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison to develop a new illustrated case and accompanying editorial for a special issue in the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (JAACP). The resulting publication, The Role of Pharmacists in Mitigating Patient Harms and Drug Misinformation Risks Arising from Synthetic Smoke Shop Products, was the first time this journal has published a graphic medicine-inspired illustrated case.
This collaboration, which leveraged the subject matter expertise of Drs. Evoy and Wenthur in substance use disorders and LINC’s expertise in graphic medicine, explored the rise of unregulated psychoactive substances, such as kratom, and the rapid proliferation of smoke shops selling these minimally regulated products. The resulting illustrated case and editorial highlight how inadequate pain management, drug misinformation, lack of regulation, and limited consumer guidance place patients at serious risk, as well as the invaluable interprofessional teamwork of pharmacists, psychologists, and physical therapists working in this space.