Virginia Carvalhana and Edred Flak

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OBJECTIVE: To report the effect of pharmacist involvement in a multidisciplinary psychiatry team managing high-risk patients in the community.

Case Summary: We report 3 cases of professional collaboration that highlight the role of the pharmacist as a member of the multidisciplinary psychiatry team in the successful management of high-risk patients. Regular communication between pharmacists and psychiatrists, as well as delivery of specialized pharmacy services such as dispensing of medications in controlled supply, witnessed medication consumption, and adherence monitoring, resulted in decreased use of emergency services, decreased incidents of overdose, and increased adherence to medication.

Discussion: The management of psychiatric patients poses a significant challenge to healthcare providers. Poor adherence to drug therapy is often a significant barrier to treatment success and can lead to clinical and economic burdens. Professional collaboration between psychiatrists and pharmacists can aid in successful management of psychiatric patients at risk of relapse or deterioration in the community setting secondary to nonadherence and/or possible overdose. The pharmacist is often an unrecognized or underutilized member of the multidisciplinary team. The recent focus on expanding the pharmacist’s scope of practice supports the involvement of pharmacists as integral members of interdisciplinary and collaborative care models.

CONCLUSIONS: Interprofessional collaboration and implementation of specialized pharmacy services can increase patient adherence to medication regimens, reduce the potential for overdose, and aid in the successful management of psychiatric patients in the community setting. Although we have highlighted a small number of cases, future research is required to assess the effectiveness of such interventions on a larger scale.

J Pharm Technol 2009;25:155-8