The role and attitude of pharmacists in mental health management at community pharmacies in the Limpopo Provice

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacists are medication experts who play various significant roles in the provision of proper mental health care. Community pharmacists are usually either the first point of contact for the patient seeking pharmacist-initiated therapy or the last point of contact for a patient who has consulted with a doctor. Consequently, they have a huge role to perform in mental health management. Mental health patients are generally highly associated with non-compliance to treatment, mainly due to the severely uncomfortable side effects of the treatment. Most of them also tend to feel embarrassed by having these conditions mainly due to the stigma and misconception built around mental health conditions. This usually leads to a relatively high mortality rate. This suggests that patients may not have enough information regarding their mental health. Past studies have shown that lower levels of mental health stigma have also been revealed to be associated with community pharmacists’ preparedness to offer professional pharmacy services to patients with schizophrenia and other mental health conditions. This means the attitude affects the service. No studies have been found regarding the roles of community pharmacists and their attitudes towards mental health patients in South Africa, thereby necessitating this study. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the role, to determine the attitude of community pharmacists, and to identify the obstacles that community pharmacists practising in Limpopo Province are faced with in the management of mental health conditions. Method: 145 community pharmacists in Limpopo Province were recruited into the study using stratified random sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire comprising of a consent form, demographics, and questions related to the roles of community pharmacists in mental health management, and their attitude towards mental health patients. All the data obtained was analysed using Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 27, 2021) to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: This study has found that community pharmacists in Limpopo Province perform their roles in mental health management. The results revealed that the attitude of these community pharmacists is neutral. Furthermore, the participants indicated that they are comfortable dealing with mental health patients.Lack of training in pharmaceutical care practice, lack of patient history and lack of cooperation from mental health patients are the main obstacles faced by community pharmacists practising in Limpopo Province. Conclusion: The increasing concern over mental illness calls for an urgent need for community pharmacists countrywide to stick to their commitment in offering mental health management services. Community pharmacists in Limpopo Province are comfortably fulfilling their roles in the management of mental illnesses. However, their attitude towards mental health patients could be improved. Recommendations: Further training and education should be provided to community pharmacists. Community pharmacists in Limpopo Province should be encouraged to build and maintain relationships with other healthcare practitioners. Mental health awareness campaigns should be arranged for community pharmacies in Limpopo Province. Furthermore, screening resources/tools should be provided to community pharmacists in Limpopo Province. It would be beneficial to develop policies and resources should be developed to motivate community pharmacists in Limpopo to increase their participation in mental health care service provision