Honors Theses
Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Pharmacy Administration
First Advisor
Erin Holmes
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The number of people receiving mental illness diagnoses has increased in the last two decades. As one of the most accessible healthcare professionals, pharmacists need to be prepared to assist in the management of patients with mental illness. In this study, the objective was to see how pharmacists' mental illness knowledge, acceptable social distance, familiarity, and perceived barriers may predict pharmacists' attitude toward patients with mental illness and also their willingness to provide care to patients with mental illness. The secondary objectives of this study were to test for differences in knowledge, attitude, perceived barriers, and willingness to provide care based on type of degree type of pharmacy, gender, and location. This study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design to collect study data from a sample of 196 pharmacists. The respondents seemed to have an overall positive attitude towards patients with mental illness. Nearly 60% of pharmacists reported that their pharmacy education adequately trained them to work with patients with mental illness. In regard to education, pharmacists with a PharmD more strongly attributed physical symptoms to mental illness than did BSPharm-trained pharmacists. Most of the pharmacists perceived time available for pharmacist to give attention to patients as one of the most significant barriers. In terms of social distance, most pharmacists expressed that they would be willing to work alongside a person with mental illness than have same person as a babysitter for their child. Although, pharmacists held a somewhat positive perception of patients' mental illness, there was still a stigma assessed. Due to this, there might be a need for educational interventions that will improve future pharmacists' willingness to provide care to patients with mental illness.
Recommended Citation
Barnes, Kaleb D., "A Comprehensive Examination of the Pharmacist's Role in Mental Illness" (2018). Honors Theses. 499.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/499
Accessibility Status
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