Pharmacists’ Role in Mental Health Care: Exploring the Current State and Factors Impacting Service Provision
Date
2022-08-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Pharmacists can have an essential role in providing care for patients with mental illness
and addressing the significant and growing mental health care needs. There are gaps in the
understanding of the current extent of Saskatchewan pharmacists’ involvement in caring for
patients with mental illness and of their readiness to effectively provide this care. This study
describes the current practices of Saskatchewan pharmacists in providing care to individuals with
mental illness and assesses factors that may impact these practices.
A cross-sectional, electronic survey was emailed to pharmacists in Saskatchewan,
Canada. Pharmacists were recruited through the provincial advocacy bodies and were eligible if
their current practice included direct patient care in any setting. Pharmacists were asked about
their current extent of and attitudes toward providing specific clinical services for mental health
patients. Other questions were asked to assess attitudes, beliefs, and potential barriers related to
mental health care provision. Data was collected in Qualtrics XM and analyzed using descriptive
statistics, Chi-Square tests for associations, and content analysis for free-text responses.
One hundred forty-six pharmacists responded to the survey (response rate 9.1%). Fewer
than 20% of respondents are providing listed clinical services to most or all patients with mental
illness, except for providing basic medication education (61%). However, most agree it is a
pharmacist’s role to provide these services, especially basic education (98%), monitoring therapy
(94%), and performing comprehensive medication management (91%). Many pharmacists feel
motivated to provide these services, and to a much higher degree than they currently are. The
factors most frequently selected as having the greatest impact on service provision were
insufficient knowledge (27%), competing priorities (19%), and inadequate staffing (15%). The
majority of pharmacists had positive attitudes about providing mental health patient care and
agree that pharmacists should have more of an active role.
Saskatchewan pharmacists are well-positioned to enhance the care of patients with
mental illness, although several barriers impede their ability to regularly provide clinical
services. Further research and targeted funding should be prioritized to support pharmacists in
providing this care and bridging the gaps to address the mental health crisis.
Description
Keywords
pharmacy practice, pharmacy, mental health, psychiatry, survey
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Pharmacy and Nutrition
Program
Pharmacy