Identifying mental health training needs of general practice pharmacy workforce to advance practice: a training needs analysis survey

Background Mental health problems are commonly treated in general practice. Pharmacy roles are evolving in general practice; however it is unknown what mental health training the pharmacy workforce needs. Aim To identify and prioritise general practice clinical pharmacists' (GPCPs) and technicians' mental health and psychotropic prescribing learning needs within general practice. Method All 353 GPCPs and technicians, in one health board, were invited to participate in an online survey, September 2021. The validated Hennessy-Hicks Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire, was embedded in the survey. Participants rated 26 tasks with regard to their confidence in performing the task, and importance to their role. Clinical knowledge was assessed against clinical guidelines and literature. Results Response rate was 26% (92/353); 27% (68/256) GPCPs and 25% (24/97) technicians. Respondents prioritised 'appraising own performance' and 'assessing suicide/deliberate self-harm risk' as high training needs. There were significant variations in prioritisation between GPCPs and technicians; substantial pharmacist agreement (inter-rater correlation 0.713, 95% CI 0.376-0.870, p = 0.001). Depression was a priority training need followed by anxiety, dementia, bipolar, attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and schizophrenia. For depression treatment, 2 in 3 respondents were unaware of early antidepressant response, dose-response effects for efficacy, and would wait 8-12 weeks before optimising treatment. The majority were aware of individual lithium and antipsychotic cardiometabolic monitoring parameters; 25% identifying the correct monitoring care-bundle. Conclusion Respondents identified a range of training needs which varied between technicians and pharmacist, and staff banding. Addressing these learning needs may help pharmacy staff to better support practices and patients.