Gatekeeper training needs of community pharmacy staff

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Public Health
• Mental Health Training

Background:

• Community pharmacy staff encounter patients exhibiting suicide warning signs.
• Existing gatekeeper training programs may not fully address the unique environment of community pharmacies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an online suicide prevention gatekeeper training program tailored for community pharmacy staff.
• To identify barriers and preferences for training community pharmacy staff in suicide prevention.

Main Methods:

• 17 community pharmacy staff participated in semi-structured interviews.
• Participants reviewed existing gatekeeper training content and provided feedback.
• Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis by two independent coders.

Main Results:

• Key barriers identified include lack of time, privacy concerns, discomfort discussing suicide, and limited referral options.
• Participants desired training that is less than 30 minutes, includes local referral resources, and features realistic role-playing scenarios, including phone interactions.

Conclusions:

• Environmental, interpersonal, and individual barriers hinder pharmacy staff's role as suicide prevention gatekeepers.
• Skills-based training is crucial to equip pharmacy staff to identify, communicate with, and refer at-risk patients.
• Effective gatekeeper training should incorporate brief, realistic interactions and local referral information.