Barriers to medication counselling for people with mental health disorders: a six country study

Abstract

Provision of medication information may improve adherence and prevent medication related problems. People with mental health disorders commonly receive less medication counselling from pharmacists than people with other common long term and persistent disorders.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare and contrast barriers pharmacy students perceive toward providing medication counselling for people with mental health disorders in Australia, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, India and Latvia.MethodsBarriers identified by third-year pharmacy students as part of the International Pharmacy Students’ Health Survey were content analysed using a directed approach. Students’ responses were categorised as pharmacist related, patient related, health-system related, or social or cultural related. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 14.0.ResultsSurvey instruments were returned by 649 students. Of the respondents, 480 identified one or more barriers to medication counselling for people with mental health disorders. Patient related factors accounted for between 25.3% and 36.2% of barriers identified by the pharmacy students. Pharmacist related factors accounted for between 17.6% and 45.1% of the barriers identified by the pharmacy students. Students in India were more likely to attribute barriers to pharmacist and social and cultural related factors, and less likely to health-system related factors, than students studying in other countries.ConclusionThe nature of barriers identified by pharmacy students differed according to the country in which they studied. Undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy education programs may need to be amended to address common misconceptions among pharmacy students.

A Survey of Community Pharmacists and Final-Year Student Pharmacists and their Perception of Psychotherapeutic Agents

“…[33][34][35][36] Of the pharmacists who responded to a Canadian study, 24% indicated they learned enough about mental health during their pharmacy training compared to 61% that learned enough about cardiovascular disorders. 33 Pharmacy curricula have instituted changes to circumvent knowledge deficiencies.…”

Pharmacist intervention in a psychiatric setting

“…Aaltonen et al 9 mentioned that psychiatric patients receive less medication information from physicians and pharmacists than non-psychiatric patients. Indeed, pharmacists have reported that they lack confidence providing medication information to this particular patient group 9.…”

Confronting inequities: A scoping review of the literature on pharmacist practice and health-related disparities

“…treat, a pattern contrasted with practices related to physical illness, and linked to a diminished 330 sense of related competence or interest. 28,36,51,52,72,97 As well, some services might be viewed by 331…”

“…Over a third (37.6%, n=35) of the scientific articles 283 considered pharmacists' knowledge levels about marginalized or vulnerable groups as related to 284 equitable care. Findings evidence some knowledge deficits, including an understanding of the 285 origin of mental illness, e.g.,43,48 knowledge regarding the needs/preferences of those with mental 286 illness, 36,43,72 and core competencies and best practices related to service provision for those with 287 mental illness. 28,51,52 Pharmacists' knowledge about the circumstances and needs of those who 288 abuse/ misuse drugs, including prescription or injection street drugs, 26,29,56 and of those with or at 289 risk for HIV/AIDS 34,37,38,46,67 or Hepatitis C is also lacking.…”

“…clinicians' knowledge about a condition and/or commitment to caring for a patient [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54] Aligned 214 with this literature is a small group of articles that did not use the language of stigma, but 215 attended to societal level "stereotypes" about groups or measure "negative attitudes" and related 216 service gaps for those who abuse/ misuse drugs [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69] and patients with mental illness. 70-72 217 Bias.…”