Depression: Pharmacists can help through collaborative care
In white paper, APhA
Foundation says involvement of community pharmacists would improve
clinical outcomes, enhance quality of life.
Community pharmacists could make a
tremendous difference in the care of patients with depression through
better integration in a collaborative model of care, according to
a white
paper released by the APhA Foundation.
Building on the success of
pharmacists’ services to patients with other chronic diseases in
programs such as the Diabetes
Ten City Challenge, the Foundation convened a Coordinating Council
To Discuss the Collaborative Role of the Community Pharmacist in
Managing Depression. After reviewing available literature on depression
and its treatment, the Council discussed the pharmacists’ role and
concluded, “Innovative approaches for expanding community
pharmacist involvement in identification of patients with depression and
in their care should be developed to maximize the impact pharmacists can
make in the lives of those who suffer from the
disease.”
Depression affects more than 19
million Americans each year. The disease results in 400 million lost
work days each year, and if left untreated, costs more than $43.7
billion in absenteeism from work, lost productivity, and direct
treatment costs.
With this in mind, the APhA
Foundation’s Coordinating Council, a group of national experts and
caregivers in mental health and depression, developed “Expanding
the Role of the Community Pharmacist in Managing
Depression.”
The Council concluded that
depression is best managed by collaboration among patients and their
health care providers. The paper recommended involving pharmacists in
identifying individuals at risk for depression; screening patients with
comorbidities and other risk factors; providing medication therapy
management (MTM) services and participating in collaborative practice
arrangements; providing information on accessing patient assistance
programs; serving as a source for information on depression and social
support resources; and participating in local/regional/national mental
health organizations, advisory boards, and other support
resources.
Studies identifying barriers to
pharmacist inclusion were brought to the Council’s attention.
These included unfamiliarity with mental health issues, lack of time and
other workplace infrastructure issues, and lack of financial support for
implementing new care models. Council members encouraged continued
research into collaborative care models and pharmacist involvement in
providing care to patients with depression.
The paper concluded with specific
recommendations to enhance the pharmacist’s role in managing
patients with depression, addressing issues such as education and
training, collaborating with physicians to identify patients at risk,
pharmacist’s role in providing patient education, provider
collaboration and communication, and quality of care and
outcomes.
As an example of a successful
pharmacist-provider mental health care collaboration, the paper
highlighted the work of Julie Fike, PharmD. Fike is a clinical
pharmacist who provides MTM at the Family Life Center, operated in
partnership with Genoa Healthcare in Anoka, MN. Fike’s work with
the mental health community was profiled in
the October issue of Pharmacy Today, and a
podcast with an interview of Fike is online at www.pharmacytoday.org.
The Foundation’s
Coordinating Council was made possible by a grant from Wyeth.
Beth Farnstrom (bfarnstrom@aphanet.org)
Posted November 4, 2009, 11:00 am EST
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