Evaluation of mental health training for community pharmacy staff members and consumers

Background Community pharmacy staff in rural and remote areas need to have the skills to recognise mental health signs and symptoms, provide support and appropriate advice. Aims To evaluate the impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training through collaborative sessions attended by pharmacy staff and community members. Methods Pharmacy staff, alongside members of the local farming community, attended collaborative MHFA training in four Queensland towns. This study evaluated the training through pre‐ and post‐training questionnaires and email feedback following practice application of skills. Results Thirty‐two pharmacy staff and 14 community members participated in both pre‐ and post‐ questionnaires; 10 males and 36 females varying in age between 18 and 65 with the majority (26, 72.2%) aged 30–49 years. Participants’ understanding of the need to ask a person directly about suicide changed significantly through the training. The pre‐and post‐course surveys demonstrated a difference in knowledge of both the consumers and pharmacy staff members. Community members’ perception about how pharmacy staff can assist with mental health issues changed significantly and pharmacy staff reported an increase in confidence to approach consumers regarding their mental health. Qualitative feedback from consumers and pharmacy staff 8–12 weeks following the training was positive. Conclusion Pharmacy staff members are well placed to provide mental health support to farming communities. A collaborative mental health training approach in rural and remote areas that involved pharmacy staff and local community members showed improved knowledge, skills and collaboration between staff and consumers. This approach could easily be adapted to other contexts.