BACKGROUND: Dyslipidaemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. A key issue in management is adherence to therapy. Pharmacists are ideally situated to provide a service to increase medication adherence and optimize health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a community pharmacist-delivered adherence support service on patients' adherence and total cholesterol levels. METHODS: A repeated measures [baseline (t = 1), post-intervention at 3-monthly intervals (t = 2,3,4)], randomized-controlled study in community pharmacies, with patients on chronic lipid-lowering therapy was conducted. Measures used were Brief Medication Questionnaire, Medication Adherence Report Scale, total cholesterol and pharmacist intervention data sheets. A baseline t-test of cholesterol levels between groups was conducted followed by a repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS:Seventeen pharmacists recruited 142 patients (97 completions: 49 control, 48 intervention). Most patients missed either the third or last visit, thus data at t = 3 and 4 were combined. Although the intervention group started with a higher cholesterol level (5.1 vs. 4.8 mmol/l), a difference was observed in the drop in cholesterol levels of the intervention group between t = 2 and 3 (F(1,95) = 8.85, P < 0.01), and between the two groups over the study period (F(2,190) = 4.89, P < 0.05). No changes in medicine adherence scores were observed though there was an improvement in participants' exercise and eating habits. CONCLUSIONS: Patients significantly lowered their cholesterol levels probably as a result of the service delivered by their pharmacists within the short study time frame of ~9 months.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Dyslipidaemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. A key issue in management is adherence to therapy. Pharmacists are ideally situated to provide a service to increase medication adherence and optimize health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a community pharmacist-delivered adherence support service on patients' adherence and total cholesterol levels. METHODS: A repeated measures [baseline (t = 1), post-intervention at 3-monthly intervals (t = 2,3,4)], randomized-controlled study in community pharmacies, with patients on chronic lipid-lowering therapy was conducted. Measures used were Brief Medication Questionnaire, Medication Adherence Report Scale, total cholesterol and pharmacist intervention data sheets. A baseline t-test of cholesterol levels between groups was conducted followed by a repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Seventeen pharmacists recruited 142 patients (97 completions: 49 control, 48 intervention). Most patients missed either the third or last visit, thus data at t = 3 and 4 were combined. Although the intervention group started with a higher cholesterol level (5.1 vs. 4.8 mmol/l), a difference was observed in the drop in cholesterol levels of the intervention group between t = 2 and 3 (F(1,95) = 8.85, P < 0.01), and between the two groups over the study period (F(2,190) = 4.89, P < 0.05). No changes in medicine adherence scores were observed though there was an improvement in participants' exercise and eating habits. CONCLUSIONS:Patients significantly lowered their cholesterol levels probably as a result of the service delivered by their pharmacists within the short study time frame of ~9 months.
Authors: Mieke L van Driel; Michael D Morledge; Robin Ulep; Johnathon P Shaffer; Philippa Davies; Richard Deichmann Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2016-12-21
Authors: Joshua M Pevnick; Laura J Anderson; Siri Chirumamilla; Duong D Luong; Lydia E Noh; Katherine Palmer; Kallie Amer; Rita R Shane; Teryl K Nuckols; Rachel B Lesser; Jeffrey L Schnipper Journal: Am J Health Syst Pharm Date: 2021-03-18 Impact factor: 2.637
Authors: Jo L Byrne; Helen M Dallosso; Stephen Rogers; Laura J Gray; Ghazala Waheed; Prashanth Patel; Pankaj Gupta; Yvonne Doherty; Melanie J Davies; Kamlesh Khunti Journal: BMC Med Date: 2020-07-27 Impact factor: 8.775