This study assessed pharmacists' experiences and perspectives on monitoring antidepressant adverse events. A stratified sample of 1000 community pharmacists in Dutch-speaking Belgium was invited to complete an online survey on general views on adverse event monitoring and antidepressant adverse event monitoring practice at first and second dispensing and after 1 year. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The response rate was 24.4% (244/1000). Overall, pharmacists generally reported positive attitudes towards monitoring antidepressant adverse events, although less positive than for other medicines. Although pharmacists felt well-positioned and trained to monitor adverse events, their approach remains largely passive. Most pharmacist informed patients at first dispensing, but only 47% proactively inquired at second dispensing and 9% at dispensing after 1 year. Only 19% felt comfortable discussing sexual dysfunction. In conclusion, despite community pharmacists' positive perspectives, proactive monitoring declined over time highlighting the need for patient, healthcare provider and policy level interventions.
Verheye et al. (Sun,) studied this question.