Quality Use of Psychotropic Medicines in Rural and Remote Setting

This chapter discusses the quality use of medicines in the management of mental health conditions in rural and remote settings. It addresses the clinical reasoning processes, frameworks and policies that support safe and effective use of medicines. Recognizing that many people are able to maintain or regain their health without using medicines and not all instances of mental distress require a pharmacological remedy. The chapter highlights the distinctive features of rural and remote practice necessary for the safe and appropriate use of medicines in the treatment of mental health conditions. These include decreased access to health services and reliable medicine supply chains, cultural diversity, communication challenges, physiological variations, and translation of medicinal trial data to clinical practice. The risks associated with medicine use can be minimized through a structured approach to the decision-making process, incorporating principles of quality use of medicines, good medicines management framework, best practice and standard treatment guidelines, and use of evidence based resources.