Research
Pharmacist self-reported antidepressant medication counseling

https://doi.org/10.1331/JAPhA.2013.12112Get rights and content

Objectives

To identify the extent of pharmacists’ self-reported antidepressant counseling (SRAC) and to identify factors that may affect pharmacists’ decisions to provide antidepressant counseling.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Alabama community pharmacies in 2011.

Participants

Full-time pharmacists from 600 community pharmacies.

Intervention

Self-administered survey; three mail contacts with alternate electronic surveys were used.

Main outcome measures

Pharmacists’ SRAC behavior and its relationship with pharmacists’ illness perceptions of depression, self-efficacy, and organizational and environmental influences.

Results

600 surveys were sent; 22 were undeliverable, 1 was partially completed (<80% questions answered), and 118 were completed (20.6% overall response rate). Pharmacists reported low rates of involvement in antidepressant counseling; 61% reported assessing patient knowledge and understanding of depression, and 36% discussed options for managing adverse effects with no more than a few patients. More than one-quarter (28.6%) never asked patients whether they had barriers to taking antidepressants. Pharmacists’ perceptions regarding consequences, control/cure, and the episodic nature of depression, as well as their self-efficacy, had significant relationships (P < 0.05) with pharmacists’ involvement in antidepressant counseling.

Conclusion

Low rates of pharmacists’ involvement in antidepressant counseling were reported. Pharmacists must become more involved in counseling patients about their antidepressant medications and overcoming barriers preventing greater involvement.

Section snippets

Objectives

The primary objectives of this study were to identify the extent of pharmacist self-reported involvement in antidepressant counseling and to identify factors that affected pharmacists’ decisions to provide antidepressant counseling.

Methods

This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. Study and data use procedures received expedited review status from the institutional review board of the authors’ institution. The population was Alabama community pharmacies. Conducting this study in only one state was deemed advantageous because it allowed for more control of external factors (e.g., counseling laws) that might affect pharmacists’ antidepressant counseling behavior. Implementing the study in a southeastern state was

Results

Of the 600 survey instruments mailed, 22 were undeliverable as addressed. Of the 119 returned, 118 were considered complete (≥80% questions answered). The overall response rate was 20.6%. The 119 responses included 23 electronic (19.3%) and 96 paper (80.7%) surveys.

In the nonresponse bias investigation, early and late respondents differed regarding number of years pharmacists have been practicing at their current sites. The majority of late respondents had worked at their current sites for 5

Discussion

The primary objectives of the study were to identify the extent of pharmacist self-reported involvement in antidepressant counseling and identify factors that affected pharmacists’ decisions to provide antidepressant counseling using aspects of the TPB and CSM. Our results suggest that pharmacists’ SRAC varied across 10 unique counseling behaviors and support those who also reported that pharmacist engagement in antidepressant counseling activities vary.30 The levels of antidepressant

Limitations

Because a cross-sectional design was used, any conclusions about cause and effect relationships cannot be inferred. A second limitation was the low response rate, potentially introducing risk of bias among responses. The presence of statistical significance for some study variables suggests a strong relationship; however, the low response rate needs to be considered when interpreting the absence of statistical significance for other study variables. Another limitation is self-selection for

Conclusion

The extent of pharmacists’ SRAC was suboptimal. Relationships between factors that affect pharmacists’ decisions to provide antidepressant counseling and pharmacists’ self-reported provision of antidepressant counseling were identified. SRAC behaviors were related to the degree that pharmacists’ recognized the impact of depression on patients’ lives, obtaining antidepressant-related knowledge and skills, and pharmacists’ confidence in their current knowledge, skills, and ability to communicate

References (0)

Cited by (0)

Disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests in any product or service mentioned in this article, including grants, employment, gifts, stock holdings, or honoraria.

Acknowledgment: To the Alabama community pharmacists who participated in this study.

Funding: Supported by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education Predoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Science Program and the Auburn University Graduate School Graduate Dissertation Research Award Program.

Previous presentation: American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, Kissimmee, FL, July 15, 2012.

View full text