Mental health study
March 25, 2014
Griffith University is looking
for family members or carers for
people with a mental illness such
as depression or anxiety for a study
looking at whether consumers get
the best out of their medicines.
The study is part of the Mental
Health and Community Pharmacy
Project, launched in January, which
is funded by a $2.1m grant from
the Department of Health as part
of the Fifth Community Pharmacy
Agreement R&D program and
helps pharmacy staff improve their
skills to work with mental health
consumers to get the best out of
their medication (PD 15 Jan).
Project manager Brad
McConachie said throughout the
project there had been a high
level of focus on mental health
consumers and carers, identifying
their needs, experiences and
expectations of pharmacy services
and developing pharmacy training
to address needs.
“Often family members or carers
are the ones that collect the
medicines and often have their own
information needs in supporting
the person they care for.
“The Project is about
acknowledging and engaging
consumers, as well as carers, as
full partners with their health care
providers, in particular emphasising
their relationship with pharmacy
staff.”
The project aimed to train
200 pharmacy staff members,
representing 100 pharmacies, and
so far, the team had trained 94,
McConachie said.
“A team of mentors consisting
of pharmacy staff, consumers and
carers are currently assisting these
pharmacists to identify and work
with 500 consumers who they
believe would benefit from this
medication support plan over the
next six months.”
Findings from the project would
be published at the end of the R&D
program in mid-2015, McConachie
said.
For more information and to read
some case studies, CLICK HERE.
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