title: [Counselling customers with psychotropic vs. cardiovascular prescriptions: a survey among Austrian community pharmacists].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in general and their share of all prescriptions have substantially risen over the last decades. Thus, also counselling by pharmacists becomes more important in this area. This study focuses on how community pharmacists see their own role when counselling persons with prescriptions for psychotropic medication and how this differs from counselling persons with other types of prescriptions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the Toronto Community Pharmacists' Questionnaire an online questionnaire was developed with the assistance of the Austrian Pharmacists Association. This instrument elicits pharmacists' attitudes toward and professional interactions with users of psychotropic drugs on the one hand and of cardiovascular medication on the other. After a pilot study the questionnaire - which was to be filled in anonymously - was put on a web portal for six months and Austrian community pharmacists were invited to answer it.
  
  
  RESULTS
  125 pharmacists completed the questionnaire. Overall it was reported, that new customers with psychotropic prescriptions were less often counselled than those with prescriptions for cardiovascular medication. The main reasons for this difference seem to be the lack of privacy in public pharmacies, the fear of stigmatising customers with psychotropic medication and a perceived lack of training concerning the treatment of mental disorders. In addition to improving such training, it was suggested that seminars and workshops for communication skills should be organised.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reduced frequency in counselling new customers with psychotropic medication is related to a lack of privacy in public pharmacies, fear of stigmatising customers and a perceived need for improving the training on the treatment of mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: IMEHPS.research - Forschungsinstitut für Sozialpsychiatrie, Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Sozialpsychiatrie, Lazarettgasse 14A-912, 1090, Wien, Österreich.
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hagmair
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amering
authors.forename: Gerda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Katschnig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001317:Austria; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003219:Confidentiality; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs