Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Besut Campus, 22200, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 3 School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia. sabrina.anne@monash.edu
Community Ment Health J, 2020 01;56(1):88-98.
PMID: 31667692 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-019-00496-4

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess community pharmacists' (CPs) perceptions toward mental healthcare, and the barriers faced in providing pharmaceutical care (PC) services to these patients. A 40-item survey was posted to CPs. Ninety-six pharmacists participated. The majority (84.2%) agreed there is a role for CPs to play in mental health care, while approximately 60% agreed it is their responsibility to provide PC to these patients. The biggest barrier to providing this service is the lack of knowledge, cited by close to 50% of respondents. This corresponds with the revelation that close to 60% believe that they have a poor or fair understanding of mental disorders. About 30% of respondents said they do not stock psychotropic drugs at all, mainly due to medico-legal reasons, and low prescription requests. Our findings highlight the need for more training of CPs in managing patients with mental disorders.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.