Pharmacy Daily | PharMIbridge on track

THE Bridging the Gap between Physical and Mental Illness in Community Pharmacy (PharMIbridge) trial is set to begin in the coming months, the project's stakeholders announced yesterday.

The study led by University of Sydney Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Dr Claire O'Reilly, and Griffith University Professor of Mental Health, Amanda Wheeler, will focus on individualised medicine support, adherence, and mental and physical wellbeing for people living with severe and persistent mental illnesses.

The randomised controlled trial will see community pharmacies in the Hunter and New England, Northern Sydney, Gippsland and the ACT remunerated to support training attendance and to deliver either the PharMIbridge or study-funded MedsCheck services.

With the trial set to commence, Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, George Tambassis, said pharmacists have played an increasingly important role in the area of mental health.

"As the most accessible of all health professionals, community pharmacists are often the first people mental health patients turn to for help and advice," he said.

"Many pharmacists have undergone additional training to help them identify patients who may be living with mental illness.

"Pharmacists also are critical in helping patients adhere to their medicine regimens to ensure they get best possible outcomes from the medicines they have been prescribed.

"This project is an exciting and important initiative to broaden the role of pharmacists in helping patients with mental illness."

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) National President, Dr Chris Freeman, also welcomed the imminent rollout of the program.

"Medicines are an important component of treatment for people living with mental illness which is why pharmacists, as medicines experts, have a critical role to play, however that should not limit our role," he said.