Affiliation:
1. College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Abstract
Abstract
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.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health Policy,Pharmaceutical Science,Pharmacy
Reference24 articles.
1. Undertreatment of major depression;Keller;Psychopharmacol Bull,1988
2. DEPRES II (Depression Research in European Society II): a patient survey of the symptoms, disability and current management of depression in the community;Tylee;Int Clin Psychopharmacol,1999
3. Differences between prescription and consumption of antidepressants and anxiolytics;Lecrubier;Int Clin Psychopharmacol,1998
4. Depression in the community: the first pan-European study DEPRES (Depression Research in European Society);Lepine;Int Clin Psychopharmacol,1997
5. Epidemiology of affective disorders: a review;Bland;Can J Psychiatry,1997
Cited by
27 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献