Evaluating regional/rural community pharmacists’ confidence and views of prescribing melatonin: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: With recent changes to regulations in Australia allowing community pharmacists to prescribe melatonin to people aged 55 and older as a schedule 3 or ‘over the counter’ medicine, their knowledge of insomnia and the safety of melatonin needs to be assessed. Objective: The study aims to investigate the perceptions and confidence of community pharmacists on the supply of melatonin to patients with sleep issues. Methods: Ten community pharmacists located in regional Victoria participated in semi structured interviews. Interviews were recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Transcriptions were de-identified and thematically analysed. Results: Five overarching themes were identified: (1) the accessibility and practicality of pharmacists prescribing melatonin, (2) a lack of confidence in assessing sleep issues (3) a high confidence in the safety of melatonin (4) barriers to prescribing and (5) future recommendations. The results showed that the perceived barriers to pharmacists’ safe supply of melatonin included time constraints, the need for supply of melatonin to be recorded and this data shared across pharmacies, as well as the need for dedicated education and training for pharmacists in sleep issues. However, despite these barriers, community pharmacists perceived themselves as suitable prescribers of melatonin, and that with appropriate education and training in insomnia and melatonin safety, their supply of melatonin could be expanded to include other age groups. Conclusion: Community pharmacists perceived themselves as being in an appropriate position to supply over the counter melatonin for patients aged 55 years and over. However, there is a need for expanded education and resources to enhance the confidence of community pharmacists in the identification of insomnia presentations and safe supply of melatonin.