Outcomes of a primary care pediatric mental and behavioral health pharmacist consult service within a tertiary pediatric health system.

Abstract

Background: The increasing prevalence of mental health conditions in pediatric patients highlights the need for improved care. With long wait times and shortages in child and adolescent psychiatrists, primary care providers (PCPs) and pharmacists can help fill this gap.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of a primary care mental and behavioral health pharmacist consult service in a pediatric health system.

Methods: This study was a retrospective, single-center chart review of electronic consults placed by PCPs to a mental and behavioral health pharmacist from August 2023 through July of 2024. Consults were identified through an electronic medical record query, where demographic, clinical, and service details were collected.

Results: The query yielded 149 consults. The most frequently consulted medication classes were antidepressants (48.32 %, n = 72) and stimulants (42.28 %, n = 63), while the most frequently consulted mental health conditions were anxiety (47.65 %, n = 71), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (46.31 %, n = 69), and depression (22.82 %, n = 34). Of the 126 consults with documented follow up, 97.62 % (n = 123) of pharmacist recommendations were accepted by providers. While a single consult could include multiple recommendations from the pharmacist, acceptance was evaluated for the consult as a whole rather than individual recommendations.

Conclusion: The pharmacy consult service effectively supported PCPs in managing pediatric mental health conditions with a high acceptance of recommendations, demonstrating its value in enhancing medication regimen efficacy, safety, and adherence.