Access and rational use of psychotropic medications in low- and middle-income countries

Antidepressant prescriptions and adherence in primary care in India: Insights from a cluster randomized control trial

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization recommends that treatment of depression in low and middle-income countries with a scarcity of psychiatrists could be done in primary care and should include prescription of antidepressant medications for moderate and severe depression. Little is known, however, about the actual practices of antidepressant prescription by primary care physicians in low and middle-income countries, nor about adherence by people receiving such prescriptions. In a large study of primary care clinics in Goa, India, we examined the relationship of actual to recommended prescribing practices for depression, among all patients who screened positive for common mental disorder. We also examined other patient and clinic characteristics associated with antidepressant prescription, and self-reported adherence over a one-month period.

METHODS

Patients attending 24 primary care clinics were screened for common mental disorders. Those who screened positive were eligible to enroll in a trial to assess the effectiveness of a collaborative stepped care (CSC) intervention for mental disorders. Physicians in the 12 intervention and 12 control clinics (usual care) were free to prescribe antidepressants and follow-up interviews were conducted at 2, 6 and 12 months. Screening results were shared with the physician, but they were blinded to the diagnosis generated later using a standardized diagnostic interview administered by a health counsellor. We categorized these later diagnoses as "moderate/severe depression", "mild depression or non-depression diagnosis", and "no diagnosis". We used a two-level hierarchical logistic regression model to examine diagnostic and other factors associated with antidepressant prescription and one-month adherence.

RESULTS

Overall, about 47% of screened positive patients (n = 1320) received an antidepressant prescription: 60% of those with moderate/severe depression, 48% of those with mild depression or non-depression diagnosis, and 31% with no diagnosis. Women (OR 1.29; 95%CI 1.04-1.60) and older adults (OR 1.80; 95%CI 1.32-2.47) were more likely to receive an antidepressant prescription. While the overall rate of antidepressant prescription was similar in clinics with and without CSC, patients without any diagnosis were more likely to receive a prescription (OR 2.20 95% CI 1.03-4.70) in the usual care clinics. About 47% of patients adhered to antidepressant treatment for one month or more and adherence was significantly better among older adults (OR 3.92; 95% CI 1.70-8.93) and those who received antidepressant as part of the CSC treatment model (OR 6.10 95% CI 3.67-10.14) compared with those attending the usual care clinic.

CONCLUSION

Antidepressants were widely prescribed following screening in primary care, but prescription patterns were in poor accord with WHO recommendations. The data suggest under-prescription for people with moderate/severe depression; over-prescription for people with mild depression or non-depression diagnoses; and over-prescription for people with no disorders. For all diagnoses adherence was low, especially in usual care clinics. To address these concerns, there is an urgent need to study and develop strategies in primary care practices to limit unnecessary antidepressant prescriptions, target prescription for those patients who clearly benefit, and to improve adherence to antidepressant treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00446407.

Mapping actions to improve access to medicines for mental disorders in low and middle income countries

AIMS

In recent years a number of intergovernmental initiatives have been activated in order to enhance the capacity of countries to improve access to essential medicines, particularly for mental disorders. In May 2013 the 66th World Health Assembly adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, which builds upon the work of WHO's Mental Health Gap Action Programme. Within this programme, evidence-based guidelines for mental disorders were developed, including recommendations on appropriate use of medicines. Subsequently, the 67th World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on access to essential medicines, which urged Member States to improve national policies for the selection of essential medicines and to promote their availability, affordability and appropriate use.

METHODS

Following the precedent set by these important initiatives, this article presents eleven actions for improving access and appropriate use of psychotropic medicines.

RESULTS

A 4 × 4 framework mapping actions as a function of the four components of access - selection, availability, affordability and appropriate use - and across four different health care levels, three of which belong to the supply side and one to the demand side, was developed. The actions are: developing a medicine selection process; promoting information and education activities for staff and end-users; developing a medicine regulation process; implementing a reliable supply system; implementing a reliable quality-control system; developing a community-based system of mental health care and promoting help-seeking behaviours; developing international agreements on medicine affordability; developing pricing policies and a sustainable financing system; developing or adopting evidence-based guidelines; monitoring the use of psychotropic medicines; promoting training initiatives for staff and end-users on critical appraisal of scientific evidence and appropriate use of psychotropic medicines.

CONCLUSIONS

Activating these actions offers an unique opportunity to address the broader issue of increasing access to treatments and care for mental disorders, as current lack of attention to mental disorders is a central barrier across all domains of the 4 × 4 access framework.

Engaging and staying engaged: a phenomenological study of barriers to equitable access to mental healthcare for people with severe mental disorders in a rural African setting

Background

In low-and middle-income countries, integration of mental health into primary care is recommended to reduce the treatment gap. In this study we explored barriers to initial and ongoing engagement of people with severe mental disorders (SMD) in rural Ethiopia after implementing integrated primary mental healthcare services.

Methods

A qualitative approach was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with 50 key informants: service users/caregivers engaged with care (n = 17), non-engagers and their caregivers (n = 10), those who had initiated treatment but disengaged and their caregivers (n = 12) and primary healthcare professionals (n = 11). Two focus group discussions were conducted with community health workers (10 per group). Thematic analysis was used.

Results

Most respondents reported improved access to care, usually equated with medication, and were motivated to remain engaged due to experienced benefits of care. However, four main barriers to engagement emerged. (1) Poverty: resulting in inability to pay for medication and undermining vital social support affected engagement for all respondents. (2) Unreliable medication supplies and lack of second line options for inadequate response or intolerable side-effects. (3) The long-term nature of the illness: expectations of cure, stigma of chronic illness, low awareness about the illness and treatment and declining social support over time. (4) The nature of SMD: difficulty conveying the person when acutely disturbed and no flexibility for proactive outreach or legal frameworks to provide care when patients lacked capacity. In those who never engaged, geographical inaccessibility was an important barrier. Alternative cultural explanations for illness were only mentioned as a barrier only by two of the respondents.

Conclusion

Economic interventions may be needed to support ongoing engagement in care for people with SMD. Systems of care for chronic illness need to be strengthened in combination with legal frameworks. Expanded options for affordable and effective medication and psychosocial interventions are required for person-centred care.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12939-017-0657-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Medication challenges for patients with severe mental illness: experience and views of patients, caregivers and mental health care workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Background

Management of patients with mental disorders is inadequate in the majority of low and middle income countries. The main treatment modality for patients with severe mental disorders in these countries is mainly pharmacological approach. Patients face many challenges in meeting medication needs. In this context, high percentages of individuals who have severe mental disorders are not treated. Regular and adequate supplies of appropriate, safe and affordable medications are some of the important aspects required for provision of quality mental health services. Psychotropic medications are an important component of holistic care that provides treatment options for those suffering from mental illnesses. In Tanzania, mental health services face many challenges including inadequate mental health care providers, infrastructure, and medication supply. Relapse is a common problem among patients attending mental health facilities. This study is aimed at exploring views and experiences of patients, caregivers and mental health care providers on the psychotropic medication in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted, involving two focus group discussions with seven and nine caregivers in each group. Eleven in-depth interviews with four patients and seven mental health care providers at Temeke Municipality, Dar es Salaam, were conducted. Convenient sampling procedure was used to select participants for the study. Discussion and interview guides were used during data collection. Interviews were audio-recorded in Kiswahili with all study participants. The recorded interviews were transcribed and qualitative content thematic analysis was used to analyze data after translation.

Results

Four themes were identified. These include attitudes of patients towards psychotropic medication, availability of psychotropic medications, financial concerns towards psychotropic medications, and coverage of free treatment policy.

Conclusion

The availability and affordability of psychotropic medications to patients are big problems. This was partly attributed to insufficient funds to support the budget of health facilities and technical challenges contributed by both the health facilities and other stakeholders. To improve mental health services in the country, it is important to ensure adequate supply of psychotropic medications in the health facilities. Access to psychotropic medications is essential in addressing the public health problem of untreated mental illnesses. These findings call for the government and other stakeholders to increase funding for essential psychotropic medications.