TY - JOUR
KW - Community Health Services
KW - Cooperative Behavior
KW - Female
KW - Homeless Persons
KW - Humans
KW - Los Angeles
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Pharmacists
KW - Physicians, Primary Care
KW - Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use
AU - B. Chung
AU - J. A. Dopheide
AU - P. Gregerson
A1 - 
AB - PURPOSE: There is limited access to psychiatric medication follow-up services at safety-net clinics serving the largely homeless minority population of Los Angeles' skid-row district. This paper describes the process of establishing a pharmacist-run psychiatric medication management service, the types of interventions provided by the psychiatric pharmacist, and patient and provider satisfaction with the service. METHODS: The establishment of a collaborative practice agreement between primary care physicians and psychiatric pharmacists is described along with the patient demographics and types of pharmacist interventions. Primary care physicians were surveyed regarding their comfort level with managing psychiatric illness and prescribing psychotropic medications. They were also asked about their opinion of psychiatric pharmacist medication management services. An anonymous patient satisfaction survey was also administered. RESULTS: The development of psychiatric pharmacy services is described. The types of interventions included initiating drug therapy, adjusting dosages, discontinuing drug therapy, and providing medication education. Primary care providers were not comfortable in providing psychiatric medication follow-up for patients beyond uncomplicated depression and anxiety disorders. They expressed an overall positive view of psychiatric pharmacist services for their patients with established psychiatric diagnoses. Patient satisfaction ratings were high. CONCLUSIONS: A psychiatric pharmacist-run medication management service in collaboration with primary care providers can improve access to mental health services in safety-net clinics with good provider and patient satisfaction.
BT - Journal of the National Medical Association
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 7
CY - United States
IS - 7
JF - Journal of the National Medical Association
N2 - PURPOSE: There is limited access to psychiatric medication follow-up services at safety-net clinics serving the largely homeless minority population of Los Angeles' skid-row district. This paper describes the process of establishing a pharmacist-run psychiatric medication management service, the types of interventions provided by the psychiatric pharmacist, and patient and provider satisfaction with the service. METHODS: The establishment of a collaborative practice agreement between primary care physicians and psychiatric pharmacists is described along with the patient demographics and types of pharmacist interventions. Primary care physicians were surveyed regarding their comfort level with managing psychiatric illness and prescribing psychotropic medications. They were also asked about their opinion of psychiatric pharmacist medication management services. An anonymous patient satisfaction survey was also administered. RESULTS: The development of psychiatric pharmacy services is described. The types of interventions included initiating drug therapy, adjusting dosages, discontinuing drug therapy, and providing medication education. Primary care providers were not comfortable in providing psychiatric medication follow-up for patients beyond uncomplicated depression and anxiety disorders. They expressed an overall positive view of psychiatric pharmacist services for their patients with established psychiatric diagnoses. Patient satisfaction ratings were high. CONCLUSIONS: A psychiatric pharmacist-run medication management service in collaboration with primary care providers can improve access to mental health services in safety-net clinics with good provider and patient satisfaction.
PP - United States
PY - 2011
SN - 0027-9684; 0027-9684
SP - 567
EP - 574
EP - 
T1 - Psychiatric pharmacist and primary care collaboration at a skid-row safety-net clinic
T2 - Journal of the National Medical Association
TI - Psychiatric pharmacist and primary care collaboration at a skid-row safety-net clinic
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U2 - 21999031
VL - 103
VO - 0027-9684; 0027-9684
Y1 - 2011
ER -