A survey of community pharmacists’ attitudes towards mental illness
| Pages | 93-102 |
| Published date | 20 June 2016 |
| Date | 20 June 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-12-2015-0052 |
| Author | Kim Morral,Jordi Morral |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
A survey of community pharmacists’
attitudes towards mental illness
Kim Morral and Jordi Morral
Kim Morral is an Independent
Researcher at Qualitas
Research, Huddersfield, UK.
Jordi Morral is based at the
Department of Pharmacy,
University of Huddersfield,
Huddersfield, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to compare the pharmacy services provided to people taking
psychotropic and cardiovascular medications and examine the association between pharmacists’attitudes
towards mental illness and provision of pharmacy services. The paper also considers pharmacists’opinions
of the pharmaceutical care needs of people with mental illness including their physical health.
Design/methodology/approach –A survey instrument was sent by facsimile to a random sample of
community pharmacists in England and Wales.
Findings –Community pharmacists had generally positive attitudes towards mental illness but provided
significantly fewer pharmacy services (and were less comfortable providing them) to patients taking
psychotropic medications than to patients taking cardiovascular medications. Awareness of the higher
prevalence of physical health conditions among people with severe mental illness was not high. Provision of
pharmacy services was associated with pharmacists’attitudes towards mental illness and comfort providing
pharmaceutical care. Other factors that may contribute to these disparities in service provision are discussed.
Practical implications –The study findings indicate the need for enhanced mental health education for
pharmacy students to improve attitudes, knowledge and confidence in mental health and the inclusion of
mental health in pharmacy advanced services.
Originality/value –Few studies have examined the relationship between attitudes towards mental illness
and provision of pharmacy services. This was the first study to examine the attitudes of British community
pharmacists towards mental illness.
Keywords Mental health, Attitudes, Community pharmacy, Psychotropic medications,
Cardiovascular medications, Pharmacy services
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Alongside psychosocial interventions psychotropic medications play an important role in
recovery for many people who live with mental illness. Due to their specialist training and
knowledge community pharmacists are well placed to support people to make informed choices
about their medicines, by advising patients on how to take them and what reactions may occur
(General Pharmaceutical Council, n.d.). In addition to advising patients about medicines,
community pharmacists offer a range of healthcare services to patients such as smoking
cessation, blood pressure measurement and cholesterol management (General Pharmaceutical
Council, n.d.). Due to their accessibility on the high street and appointment-free system
community pharmacists are ideally placed to provide healthcare screening and advice to people
with mental health problems. This is supported by recent NHS strategies in England (five year
forward view) and Wales (Together for Health) which indicate the role of pharmacists in the
prevention of ill health and supporting healthy living (NHS England, Care Quality Commission,
Health Education England, Monitor, Public Health England, Trust Development Authority, 2014;
Welsh Government, 2011).
Received 22 December 2015
Revised 18 March 2016
Accepted 18 April 2016
DOI 10.1108/JPMH-12-2015-0052 VOL. 15 NO. 2 2016, pp. 93-102, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729
j
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTALHEALTH
j
PAG E 93
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