A pharmacy carer support service: obtaining new insight into carers in the community

McMillan, Sara Sinclair; King, Michelle Annette; Stapleton, Helen; Sav, Adem; Kelly, Fiona; Wheeler, Amanda

doi:10.1111/ijpp.12454

Cited by 8 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…It may therefore be beneficial to identify opportunities to engage carers through other existing healthcare channels or relationships. McMillan, King, Stapleton, Sav, Kelly and Wheeler [34] for example, delivered a six-step support service for carers through local pharmacies in South Eastern Queensland, Australia. Findings from the program evaluation suggested that this program built staff capacity, enabled a better understanding of carers' roles, and provided more accessible support for carers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological distress among carers and the moderating effects of social support

et al. 2020

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Background: Carers provide both practical and emotional support and often play an important role in coordination of care for recipients. The demands of caring may lead to increased levels of stress for the carer, which can affect mental health and quality of life. This study examined the relationship between being a carer and psychological distress (assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale [K10]), and explored the moderating effect of social support in that relationship using a large sample. Methods: The study used data from the 45 and Up study, a large cohort study of individuals aged 45 years and over in New South Wales, Australia, and applied multiple regression methods and moderation analysis. The sample for the current study comprised 267,041 participants drawn from the baseline dataset, with valid data on the primary outcome (carer status). Results: The mean age of participants was 62.73 (±11.18) years, and 4.23% and 7.13% were identified as full-time and part-time carers, respectively. Compared to non-carers, full-time carers had K10 scores that were on average, higher by 1.87, while part-time carers' K10 scores were on average higher by 1.60 points. A perception of social support reduced the strength of the relationship between carer status and psychological distress by 40% for fulltime carers and 60% for part-time carers. Conclusions: The findings have important implications, for both prevention and treatment of psychological problems among carers. In terms of prevention, they suggest that public health campaigns focused on increasing awareness regarding the psychological burden faced by carers would be useful. In terms of intervention, potential treatments that focus on improving social support networks may be helpful. The results are particularly important in the current context of an ageing population in Australian and other developed countries, where caregiving is likely to play an increasing role in the care and support services.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological distress among carers and the moderating effects of social support

et al. 2020

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“…Promotional materials, such as posters and postcards, were given alongside carer folders to record questionnaire responses and follow‐up notes. Carer folders outlined the six steps of the service: (i) research consent process for the carer (not the care receiver); (ii) carer health status (i.e., getting to know the carer such as their roles and responsibilities); (iii) initial health review, including medication/s used and impact of caring; (iv) support plan (goal setting and strategies informed by answers to the carer health status and initial health review); (v) ongoing support (such as follow‐up sessions); and (vi) final review (McMillan et al, ). A mentor pair visited or phoned each pharmacy twice‐monthly for follow‐up purposes; support focused on carer recruitment and goal setting, and access to resources.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Participants were asked to repeat The EQ‐5D‐3L General Health Questionnaire (EUROQOL, ) and the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (Bakas et al, ). Further details of service feasibility with pharmacy staff are reported elsewhere (McMillan SS et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results of this study should be viewed within its limitations; a small sample of Caucasian carers was recruited and the number of carers approached within each pharmacy (i.e., the overall response rate), is unknown. The authors acknowledge the difficulties with carer recruitment and offer some insights into this, which are published elsewhere (McMillan SS et al, ). Many carers were conveniently selected by pharmacy staff to participate, leading to a possible sampling bias.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Although not specifically a medication management service, goals could be related to medication concerns or queries. Further details about how the service was developed and implemented within the pharmacy setting are published elsewhere (McMillan et al, ). The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of an individualised carer support service in the community pharmacy setting, from the perspective of carer participants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Support for Australian carers from community pharmacy: Insight into carer perspectives of a novel service

McMillan

King

Sav

et al. 2018

Health Soc Care Community

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The feasibility of an individualised carer support service delivered in community pharmacies was assessed from the perspective of carer participants using a pre-post questionnaire and semistructured interviews. Eligible pharmacies were required to offer a medication management service relevant to carers and have a semiprivate space for conversations. Carers were required to self-identify as an unpaid support person for someone with a chronic condition or disability. Between September 2016 and March 2017, staff from 11 community pharmacies in South-East Queensland, Australia were trained, and provided with ongoing mentoring from a pharmacist and carer to support service implementation. Identification of carers and support to achieve a personal and care-giving goal were key features of the service. Questionnaires included the EQ-5D-3L, the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale, and questions relating to goal achievement, carer roles, and responsibilities. Seven follow-up carer interviews were undertaken between March and May 2017 and analysed thematically. Pre-post questionnaires were available for 17 carers (one withdrew, two incomplete). Of the 29 goals set, 10 were achieved and 14 partially achieved. EQ-5D-3L scores were unchanged, while 7 of the 15 items comprising the Bakas score improved (p < 0.05). Carer service evaluation was generally favourable, and these two main interview themes were the impact of caring and pharmacy experience. The impact of caring, while variable, was significant. Pharmacy experiences were mostly positive and the opportunity for carers to further engage with pharmacy staff was appreciated. The service was feasible and initial reported benefits to carers may support further research potentially in terms of a larger controlled trial.

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Community pharmacies as a place for informal carer support in mental health and wellbeing

et al. 2023

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There are 5.3 million informal carers in the United Kingdom who take on caring responsibilities for family and friends. Informal carers can be forgotten patients within health and care services, yet because of carer burden, they are at risk of deterioration in health and wellbeing. There are higher levels of anxiety, depression, burnout and low self-esteem amongst carers but, to our knowledge work to date has mainly focused on supporting carers to provide better care for their family member, and less on carers’ health and wellbeing. There is increasing interest in social prescribing as a method of linking patients with community-based services to improve health and wellbeing. Initiatives have included social prescribing via community pharmacies which are already recognized to be accessible for support and signposting. The coming together of community pharmacy services and social prescribing could represent a framework to better support carers in their mental health and wellbeing.

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A pharmacy carer support service: obtaining new insight into carers in the community

Abstract: Pharmacy staff are well positioned to support carers. Engaging carers in conversation to better understand their needs is a small step with potential for big gains, including a more empathetic understanding of their individual circumstances and overall well-being.

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

Psychological distress among carers and the moderating effects of social support

Psychological distress among carers and the moderating effects of social support

Support for Australian carers from community pharmacy: Insight into carer perspectives of a novel service

Community pharmacies as a place for informal carer support in mental health and wellbeing

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