Australian community pharmacists' experiences and comfort in caring for people at risk of suicide: a descriptive study

Introduction: Suicide is a leading cause of death globally, with rates increasing in Australia since 2010. Pharmacists regularly interact with and care for people at risk of suicide (Murphy et al. 2017, Murphy et al. 2018), however little is known about these interactions to date. Aims: To describe the experiences of community pharmacists involved in the care of people at risk of suicide. Methods: Community pharmacists in Australia and Canada completed an online survey comprising four sections; of which one comprised questions exploring pharmacists’ experiences with people at risk of suicide, or who had died by suicide. Results: Completed surveys were received from 161 Australian pharmacists. The majority were female (68%) with a mean age of 33.3 years. Most pharmacists had interacted with someone at risk of suicide at least once (85.1%), with 16.2% interacting more than 6 times. In relation to pharmacists’ most prominent experience with someone at risk of suicide, less than half carried out a suicide assessment, with only 13% of pharmacists directly inquiring about suicidal thoughts. More than half of pharmacists (60%) felt uncomfortable about their involvement and 1 in 4 were dissatisfied with how they handled the situation. Discussion: Community pharmacists are frequently caring for people at risk of suicide, yet many feel uncomfortable with their involvement. Often people were seeking advice of the pharmacist directly, highlighting the important primary health care role pharmacists play in suicide prevention. Further research and education in suicide prevention training for pharmacists is required.