Lauren Haslam1, David M Gardner2, Andrea Lynn Murphy3. 1. Dalhousie Medical School, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, PO Box 15000, B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: lr276354@dal.ca. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, QEII HSC, AJLB 7517, 5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2E2, Canada. Electronic address: david.gardner@dal.ca. 3. College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, 5968 College St., PO Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada. Electronic address: andrea.murphy@dal.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Bloom Program, a community pharmacy-based mental health and addictions care program, was developed and implemented to optimize pharmacists' care of eligible patients. Characterizing pharmacists' activities in the Bloom Program can facilitate program quality improvement and contribute more broadly to the knowledge base regarding pharmacists' roles and contributions to patient care. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the patient care activities of the pharmacists in the Bloom Program. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patient charts for participants enrolled in the program for three months or longer was conducted. Using all available documentation, pharmacists' activities were coded into eight non-mutually exclusive categories: navigation/resource support, urgent triage, medication management, collaboration/communication, education, social support, self-care, and other. RESULTS: 2055 activities from 1144 patient care encounters were identified for 126 participants (48 ± 16 years of age, 61% female, 5 regular medications). Medication management was coded most often per encounter (73%). Each of social support, collaboration/communication, and education were coded in 20-25% of encounters. Frequency of navigation/resources, self-care, and urgent triage were 16.6%, 13.5%, and 2.8%, respectively. Non-medication management activities represented 59.4% of all pharmacist patient care services. CONCLUSIONS: Medication management activities were coded in over 70% of patient encounters for pharmacists delivering a community pharmacy-based mental illness and addictions program. However, this accounted for 40.6% of activities with an average of 1.8 activities per encounter. Other activities were identified frequently (e.g., education, collaboration, social support, navigation and resource support) and help to characterize the nature of pharmacist-patient encounters and facilitates a better understanding of the role of the pharmacist in mental illness and addictions patient care.
BACKGROUND: The Bloom Program, a community pharmacy-based mental health and addictions care program, was developed and implemented to optimize pharmacists' care of eligible patients. Characterizing pharmacists' activities in the Bloom Program can facilitate program quality improvement and contribute more broadly to the knowledge base regarding pharmacists' roles and contributions to patient care. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the patient care activities of the pharmacists in the Bloom Program. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patient charts for participants enrolled in the program for three months or longer was conducted. Using all available documentation, pharmacists' activities were coded into eight non-mutually exclusive categories: navigation/resource support, urgent triage, medication management, collaboration/communication, education, social support, self-care, and other. RESULTS: 2055 activities from 1144 patient care encounters were identified for 126 participants (48 ± 16 years of age, 61% female, 5 regular medications). Medication management was coded most often per encounter (73%). Each of social support, collaboration/communication, and education were coded in 20-25% of encounters. Frequency of navigation/resources, self-care, and urgent triage were 16.6%, 13.5%, and 2.8%, respectively. Non-medication management activities represented 59.4% of all pharmacist patient care services. CONCLUSIONS: Medication management activities were coded in over 70% of patient encounters for pharmacists delivering a community pharmacy-based mental illness and addictions program. However, this accounted for 40.6% of activities with an average of 1.8 activities per encounter. Other activities were identified frequently (e.g., education, collaboration, social support, navigation and resource support) and help to characterize the nature of pharmacist-patient encounters and facilitates a better understanding of the role of the pharmacist in mental illness and addictions patient care.
Authors: Amanda J Wheeler; Claire L O'Reilly; Sarira El-Den; Joshua Byrnes; Robert S Ware; Sara S McMillan Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2020-07-23 Impact factor: 2.692