(1184) Evaluating the of Impact of Pharmacist Led Mental Health Education on Community Mental Health Outcomes

Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to determine the impact of pharmacist provided, low-barrier, self-help mental health education on patients’ anxiety and depression screening scores utilizing the validated screening tools Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7).
Secondary objectives of this study aim to collect and evaluate patient perceived value of the provided education service and outcomes of any primary care provider referrals. Data will be collected via a qualitative survey conducted by the pharmacist at service follow up.
It is estimated that 21% of adults in the United States experience some form of mental illness. Within this population, over half (55%) remain untreated, with 28% citing a lack of access as a barrier to care.1 Studies indicate that community pharmacist involvement in mental health medication management following initiation of new therapy seems to elicit positive responses from patients.2,3 As the need for mental health care grows, there has been a call to increase research on mental health care services provided in community pharmacies, as community pharmacists are one of the most readily accessible healthcare provider.4
While first line approaches to mental illness such as depression and anxiety traditionally include pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle modification alternatives have also been studied. Evidence shows approaches such as diet and supplementation, various fitness activities, and wellness techniques can have positive impacts on mood.5-9 While much of this information is available to the public, patients face discerning misinformation from evidence based self-therapies. Pharmacists have the training and tools to accurately evaluate information on what might be beneficial versus potentially ineffective or even harmful and the community pharmacist is an accessible provider from whom to receive education.

Methods: Mental health screenings and subsequent lifestyle modification education are being implemented as part of a pilot program within a regional division of a national community pharmacy chain at select locations. Data collected during the pilot period between October 2023 and January 2024 will be evaluated to assess the efficacy of education on improving mental health scores and outcomes.

Efficacy of lifestyle modification education provided by pharmacists will be assessed by determining the change in initial PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores at a four week follow up and analyzed using a two-tailed student’s t-test. Patients who screen positive for depression or anxiety at either of the intervention time points using these tools will also be referred to primary care for follow up. Additionally, patient feedback on the perceived value of education received, as well as outcomes of referrals made by pharmacists, will be made available for evaluation by the research team.

Results: No preliminary results currently.

Conclusions: This study has the potential to offer insight into the effect that pharmacist led mental health screenings and subsequent lifestyle education can have on depression and anxiety scores. Easy availability and low-priced interventions aim to target the patient population not currently receiving care due to the potential barriers of access and cost.
Information gathered via the survey will provide insight on the length of time patients wait until being seen for follow up with their primary care provider or specialist after referral by the pharmacist. It will also be used to assess which pharmacist recommendations are being accepted or what therapy changes were made by providers at follow up, helping to guide the creation of future collaborative drug therapy agreements centered around mental health. Other data collected on the quality of services and education topics that had the greatest impact will be used by service providers to improve the services.