Assessment of pharmacists' self-reported preparedness to provide pharmacotherapy services to individuals with psychiatric disorders

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare pharmacists' level of training and/or experience in psychiatric pharmacy to (1) their self-perceived preparedness to provide pharmacotherapy services to individuals with psychiatric disorders and (2) barriers to providing pharmacotherapy services to individuals with psychiatric disorders. METHODS: This study used data from an Internet-based questionnaire. Respondents were divided into 2 groups: group A completed the Arizona Pharmacy Association's Psychiatric Certificate Program, and/or was board certified in psychiatric pharmacy, and/or was a member of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, and/or had completed a psychiatric pharmacy residency; group B had no specialized training and/or experience in psychiatric pharmacy. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the scaled responses for each group. RESULTS: Compared with pharmacists without training and/or experience in psychiatry (N = 235), respondents with specialized training and/or experience in psychiatric pharmacy (N = 38) reported more frequent interactions with patients with psychiatric disorders and provided more counseling and drug information, monitoring for adverse drug reactions, screening for treatment issues, and both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment recommendations (P < .05). Pharmacists trained in psychiatry reported being more prepared to provide all pharmacotherapy services (P < .003), except in addressing nonadherence, utilizing online resources, and providing pharmacotherapy services to patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They reported fewer barriers to providing pharmacotherapy services (P < .005), except for time to provide services, having a private consultation area, and reimbursement for patient care activities. DISCUSSION: This study found that responding pharmacists without psychiatric training/experience may need additional education and training after graduation and that they perceive more barriers in providing services to the population with psychiatric disorders.