Pharmacist's impact on chronic psychiatric outpatients in community mental health

The impact of a specially trained pharmacist upon the treatment of chronic psychiatric outpatients being maintained within their communities was studied. The quantity and costs of the services provided were assessed as well as patient satisfaction and well-being. Three years of management information data from eight mental health centers were used to compare the medication monitoring services provided by pharmacists and psychiatrists. In a separate study of chronic psychiatric outpatients, patients treated exclusively by the pharmacist were compared with patients treated by other mental health professionals on measures of community adjustment and satisfaction with treatment. The pharmacist monitored the medications of about 200 chronic psychiatric patients each month. The cost of a pharmacist providing medication monitoring services was 40% of the cost of providing that service by a psychiatrist. The pharmacist's patients were found to be functioning in the community as well as or better than other patients and their reported satisfaction with treatment was at least that of other chronic psychiatric patients sampled. The psychiatric pharmacist in this study successfully monitored stabilized psychiatric patients within their communities.