Int J Pharm Pract 2001:9:217-224
College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
David M. Gardner, PharmD, assistant professor, college of pharmacy and department of psychiatry
Andrea L. Murphy, pharmacy student
Allister K. Woodman, pharmacy student
Sarah Connelly, pharmacy student
Correspondence:
Professor Gardner, QEII HSC, AJLB 3005,
5909 Jubilee Rd, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E2
Original Papers
Community pharmacy services for antidepressant users
D. M. Gardner, A. L. Murphy, A. K. Woodman and S. Connelly
Objective — To evaluate the communication and barriers to communication between community-based pharmacists and antidepressant users.Method — A survey package designed to evaluate the communication between pharmacists and antidepressant users was distributed to 50 community pharmacies. Each package included one pharmacist survey and 10 sealed antidepressant user surveys to be distributed by the pharmacy staff. The survey addressed the components of communication, level of satisfaction and barriers to effective communication.
Setting — Urban and rural community pharmacies in the Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Key findings — Overall, pharmacists rated the value of their communication more highly than did antidepressant users, although the difference was not statistically significant. When beginning treatment, between one-half and two-thirds of antidepressant users recalled pharmacists inquiring about past use of the antidepressant and discussing information provided by the physician, time to onset of benefits and potential side effects. The purpose of the antidepressant, target symptoms, usual duration of therapy and risk of relapse with premature discontinuation were addressed less often according to antidepressant users, and monitoring of compliance was not a common activity. Antidepressant users estimated that initial communication with the pharmacist generally lasted less than five minutes, and often less than two minutes. However, pharmacists appeared to resolve misconceptions and concerns about antidepressant use efficiently. According to pharmacists, the major barrier to effective communication was a lack of privacy.
Conclusion — Although compliance with antidepressants is low and treatment outcomes are sub-optimal, pharmacists are not using their opportunities to minimise this problem through effective communication and follow-up. Pharmacists, pharmacy administrators and regulators need to re-assess their contribution to this problem and how they can lead to its resolution in the patient's best interest.