PHARMACIST-LED ASSESSMENT OF ANXIETY LEVELS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL SURVEY

Objective: Mental illnesses constitute a significant contributor to the overall burden of illness, affecting a substantial number of individuals worldwide. The aim of the study is to to measure anxiety levels, along with a questionnaire to assess the pharmacist possible role in anxiety. Material and Method: A prospective study with onlineonline questionnaire held between November 2020 and February 2021. The questionnaire was sent to the general public. The questionnaire consists of 2 sections, demographics and anxiety levels. Anxiety levels were determined by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale. Assessment of internal consistency, reliability, binary logistic regression and correlation analysis, group comparisons were conducted utilizing the Mann-Whitney U-test. Result and Discussion: A total of 398 responses were gathered. The majority of the participant were female (256, 64.3%) and the mean number of age was 29.7±10.7. The mean GAD-7 score was 6.31±4.21. The interclass correlation coffecient of the questionnaire was 0.671 (95% CI: 0.503-0.794, F: 4.55, p<0.001) and the Cronbach’s alpha test was found as 0.854. Feeling anxious or stressed lately (OR: 2.358, %95 CI:1.321-4.210,p<0.005) and the level of education (OR:5.618, %95 CI 1.332-23.698 p<0.05) were statistically significant factors for anxiety. The importance of involving pharmacists in anxiety disorder screenings were pointed out by this study. Pharmacists' screenings effectively identify anxiety, and aids referrals to appropriate healthcare providers.