title: Pharmacists' performance in a telephone-based simulated patient study after a mental health capacity-building program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The More Than Meds program was developed to enhance community pharmacy based services for people with mental illness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the care of pharmacists who participated in this specific program using a telephone-based simulated patient with insomnia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A trained actor used a simulated patient case scenario and telephoned pharmacists (i.e., intervention group pharmacists) and a control group of pharmacists approximately 6 months following training. Pharmacists were scored on their assessment of the patient and problem, guidance provided on both pharmacological and nonpharmacological care, communications, and overall quality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-three pharmacists (n = 29 intervention, n = 34 controls) were reached. Call duration was longer with intervention versus control group pharmacists [4.93 min (SD 2.3) vs. 4.00 min (SD 1.8)]. Medication recommendations were made by 76 and 100 % of intervention versus control pharmacists (p = 0.002), respectively. Intervention group pharmacists scored significantly higher on most components within communication and overall quality scores. Scores for assessing the patient, the problem, sleep, and medication supply were lower than expected for both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intervention group pharmacists performed better than controls on several components of a telephone-based simulated patient scenario for insomnia following More Than Meds training. More research is needed regarding telephone consultations in pharmacy practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, 5968 College St., PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada. andrea.murphy@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Andrea L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, 5869 University Ave., PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin-Misener
authors.affiliation: Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health, Dalhousie University/IWK Health Centre, 5850 University Ave., PO Box 9700, Halifax, NS, B3K 6R8, Canada.
authors.forename: Stan P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kutcher
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, QEII HSC, AJLB 7517, 5909 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS, B3H 2E2, Canada.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gardner
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D004513:Education, Pharmacy, Continuing; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D008603:Mental Health; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010595:Pharmacists; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D013689:Telephone
keywords: Canada; Mental disorders; Pharmacists; Simulated patients; Sleep disorders; Telephone consultations