Pharmaceutical care role model in psychiatry--pharmacist prescribing

Pharmacist's expanded roles in a mental health clinic are described. A needs assessment identified problems which could be solved by expanding the pharmacist's scope of practice. Pharmacy, psychiatry, and medical center administration approved the pharmacist's psychiatric prescribing privileges and the authority to order appropriate laboratory tests, which provides the mechanism of solving the problems identified. Psychiatry's acceptance of pharmacists in this new role is demonstrated by the continued expansion of this program. By the end of a 4-year period, pharmacists were seeing 46% of all psychiatric medication visits. A description of the privileges, roles, and process is provided.