CPNP Foundation: Stigma Study Results Published

Community pharmacists and mental illness: a survey of service provision, stigma, attitudes and beliefs.

The results of a CPNP Foundation-sponsored study about stigma and community pharmacists have been published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. The paper, Community pharmacists and mental illness: a survey of service provision, stigma, attitudes and beliefs, is the culmination of a research project between the Foundation and collaborators at Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy.

The full paper can be read online

Led by Dr. Vincent Giannetti, the team sought to explore community pharmacists’ knowledge of and attitudes toward mental illness, comfort and confidence in dealing with persons with mental illness, and the services they provide to this patient population.

A comprehensive, national survey was conducted. The comparative opinions section of the survey measured pharmacists' attitudes, perceptions and beliefs about patients diagnosed with a mental illness. Information about pharmacist demographics, knowledge and practice characteristics were also collected. A brief summary of the findings are provided below:

1. Pharmacists report overall willingness and interest to provide services for patients with mental illness, but comparatively lower comfort and confidence in their abilities.
2. Survey respondents with personal experience with mental illness had higher scores across all four domains of service provision, lower levels of stigma and more positive attitudes.
3. Pharmacists rated confidence and comfort as being low when needing to ask patients about their therapeutic goals, as well as when speaking with physicians about the patient's medication.
4. This study identified prevalent stigma among the surveyed sample of community pharmacists. These results are consistent with the findings of previous researchers. Thus, an opportunity exists to develop programs and services designed to reduce the level of stigma in community pharmacists.

The Foundation has placed a priority upon enhancing our understanding of the issues around stigma and social distancing among community pharmacists as a beginning point to make inroads in decreasing stigma among all healthcare providers. Members of the CPNP Foundation who participated in this project include Charlie Caley, Jerry McKee, Barbara Wells, and Dean Najarian. Collaborators from Duquesne University include Vince Gianetti, Khalid Kamal, Jordan Covvey, Tyler Dunn, and Pratyusha Vadagam.