Andrea L Murphy1,2, Randa Ataya3, Dani Himmelman4, Claire O'Reilly5, Alan Rosen6,7, Luis Salvador-Carulla8, Ruth Martin-Misener9, Fred Burge10, Stanley Kutcher11,12, David M Gardner3,11. 1. College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. andrea.murphy@dal.ca. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. andrea.murphy@dal.ca. 3. College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. 4. Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Canada. 5. School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 6. Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 7. Illawarra Institute for Mental Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia. 8. Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. 9. School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. 10. Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. 11. Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. 12. Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Canada.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To explore Canadian and Australian community pharmacists' practice experiences in caring for people at risk of suicide. METHODS: We conducted a thematic analysis of 176 responses to an open-ended extension question in an online survey. RESULTS: Four themes were identified and include referrals and triage, accessibility for confiding, emotional toll, and stigma. Subthemes included gatekeeping the medication supply, sole disclosure, planning for end of life, concerns of support people, assessing the validity of suicidality, gaps in the system, not directly asking, ill-equipped, resources in the pharmacy, relying on others to continue care, and attention seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Community pharmacists are caring for patients at risk of suicide frequently, and often with patients seeking the help of pharmacists directly. Pharmacists engage in activities and actions that would be considered outside of the traditional dispensing roles and provide support and intervention to people at risk of suicide through collaboration and other mechanisms. Further research to determine appropriate education and training and postvention supports is required.
PURPOSE: To explore Canadian and Australian community pharmacists' practice experiences in caring for people at risk of suicide. METHODS: We conducted a thematic analysis of 176 responses to an open-ended extension question in an online survey. RESULTS: Four themes were identified and include referrals and triage, accessibility for confiding, emotional toll, and stigma. Subthemes included gatekeeping the medication supply, sole disclosure, planning for end of life, concerns of support people, assessing the validity of suicidality, gaps in the system, not directly asking, ill-equipped, resources in the pharmacy, relying on others to continue care, and attention seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Community pharmacists are caring for patients at risk of suicide frequently, and often with patients seeking the help of pharmacists directly. Pharmacists engage in activities and actions that would be considered outside of the traditional dispensing roles and provide support and intervention to people at risk of suicide through collaboration and other mechanisms. Further research to determine appropriate education and training and postvention supports is required.
Authors: Catharine Morgan; Roger T Webb; Matthew J Carr; Evangelos Kontopantelis; Jonathan Green; Carolyn A Chew-Graham; Nav Kapur; Darren M Ashcroft Journal: BMJ Date: 2017-10-18
Authors: Andrea L Murphy; Claire L O'Reilly; Randa Ataya; Steve P Doucette; Ruth Martin-Misener; Alan Rosen; David M Gardner Journal: SAGE Open Med Date: 2019-01-14
Authors: Hayley C Gorton; Donna Littlewood; Christine Lotfallah; Matthew Spreadbury; Kai Ling Wong; Patricia Gooding; Darren M Ashcroft Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-09-09 Impact factor: 3.240