title: Improving patient feedback about and outcomes with antidepressant treatment: a study in eight community pharmacies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine (1) whether telephone follow-up using a standardized telemonitoring tool can influence the nature and extent to which antidepressant users provide feedback to pharmacists, (2) whether patient characteristics are associated with the extent of patient feedback, and (3) how patient feedback affects subsequent outcomes after controlling for patient characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, controlled, experimental design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight Wisconsin community pharmacies within a large managed care organization.
  
  
  METHODS
  60 patients presenting new antidepressant prescriptions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three monthly telephone calls from pharmacists providing structured education and monitoring.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of patient feedback to pharmacists, antidepressant knowledge, beliefs, percentage of missed doses, depression symptom scores, and perceptions of progress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with usual care patients (n=32), pharmacist-guided education and monitoring (PGEM) patients (n=28) provided significantly more feedback to pharmacists regarding different aspects of their antidepressant therapy even after controlling for patient characteristics. Regression results also showed that patient feedback was significantly associated with greater antidepressant knowledge, positive antidepressant beliefs, and perceptions of progress after 3 months. Patient feedback was unrelated to nonadherence and depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Structured education and monitoring by pharmacists significantly improves the level of patient feedback to pharmacists, and such feedback may help pharmacists identify and address their patients' misconceptions, concerns, and progress with antidepressant therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, 206 Mugar Life Sciences Building, Boston, MA 02446, USA. n.rickles@neu.edu
authors.forename: Nathaniel M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Rickles
authors.forename: Bonnie L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Svarstad
authors.forename: Jamie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Statz-Paynter
authors.forename: Leslie V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kobak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003142:Communication; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents