Impact of community pharmacy diabetes monitoring and education programme on diabetes management: a randomized controlled study

Exploring the heterogeneity in community pharmacist-led medication review studies - A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Findings on the effectiveness of medication reviews led by community pharmacists (CPs) are often inconclusive. It has been hypothesized that studies are not sufficiently standardized, and thus, it is difficult to draw conclusions.

OBJECTIVE(S)

To examine differences in the way CP-led medication review studies are set up. This was accomplished by investigating (1) patient selection criteria, (2) components of the medication review interventions, (3) types of outcomes, and (4) measurement instruments used.

METHODS

A systematic literature search of randomized controlled trials of CP-led medication reviews was carried out in PubMed and Cochrane Library. Information on patient selection, intervention components, and outcome measurements was extracted, and frequencies were analyzed. Where possible, outcomes were mapped to the Core Outcome Set (COS) for medication review studies. Finally, a network analysis was conducted to explore the influence of individual factors on outcome effects.

RESULTS

In total, 30 articles (26 studies) were included. Most articles had a drug class-specific or disease-specific patient selection criterion (n = 19). Half of the articles included patients aged ≥60 years (n = 15), and in 40% (n = 12/30) patients taking 4 drugs or more. In 24 of 30 articles, a medication review was comprised with additional interventions, such as distribution of educational material and training or follow-up visits. About 40 different outcomes were extracted. Within specific outcomes, the measurement instruments varied, and COS was rarely represented.

CONCLUSION

The revealed differences in patient selection, intervention delivery, and outcome assessment highlight the need for more standardization in research on CP-led medication reviews. While intervention delivery should be more precisely described to capture potential differences between interventions, outcome assessment should be standardized in terms of outcome selection by application of the COS, and with regard to the selected core outcome measurement instruments to enable comparison of the results.

A meta-analysis of the impact of pharmacist interventions on clinical outcomes in patients with type-2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of pharmacist interventions in type-2 diabetes patients by collecting and evaluating literature.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted across six databases, including CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, from January 2001 to January 2023. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the clinical outcomes of pharmacist interventions on type-2 diabetes patients were searched, and data were extracted and analysed by RevMan version 5.4 software.

RESULTS

A total of 35 studies involving 4827 patients were included. Meta-analysis demonstrated that pharmacist interventions had an influence on improving patients' HbA1c (MD=-0.70), LDL-C (MD=-5.51), SBP (MD=-4.58), DBP (MD=-1.90], BMI (MD=-0.47) and FBG (MD=-19.82), but there was no evidence from the study that pharmacist interventions could significantly improve HDL-C (MD=-0.61), TC (MD=-5.12) or TG (MD=-3.14). In addition, medication adherence was significantly improved.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacist interventions significantly improved HbA1c, BP, and LDL-C control levels, BMI, and medication adherence in type-2 diabetes patients, but there was no evidence from this study that pharmacist interventions significantly improved HDL-C, TC, or TG.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Effective pharmacist interventions are important to improve type-2 diabetes patients' clinical outcomes.

[Interest of a short educational intervention coordinated by community pharmacists for elderly type 2 diabetes patients in a rural area]

The number of elderly people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing worldwide. Community pharmacies, thanks to their proximity, provide more easy access to therapeutic education for rural patients. Populations living in isolated areas require specific educational resources related to their condition. The aim of this project was to perform a short (FLASH) educational intervention, coordinated by community pharmacists, and then evaluate the impact of this intervention on patient knowledge of their disease. The study was performed in Issoudun, a rural French town of approximately 10,000 inhabitants. Educational priorities were defined and the project was presented to health authorities and local health professionals. Pharmacies in Issoudun recruited patients, either alone or accompanied by their caregivers. The educational intervention lasted 2h and focused on 4 teaching objectives: knowledge concerning diabetes, diabetic complications and how to monitor them; how to react to hypoglycemia; understanding treatments; and understanding glycated hemoglobin. The impact of this educational intervention was assessed using a questionnaire delivered before the intervention, immediately after, and after 6months. Forty-five patients aged 71±6years with T2D duration of 14±6years were recruited over 6months. Some false beliefs were identified before the intervention. The educational session led to a significant improvement in the percentage of correct answers (before: 60.3%±7.5, after: 99%±0.4, P=0.0002) and at 6months (99.5%±0.3, P=0.0002) compared with the patients' initial knowledge. Almost all false beliefs were corrected by the intervention and patients were able to recall the mechanism of action of their drugs, with the help of a "key and lock" schematic. This short FLASH educational intervention, coordinated by community pharmacists, showed that the model was both interesting to patients and effective. This method could be expanded to other rural communities and medical deserts.

Effects of pharmacist-led interventions on glycaemic control, adherence, disease management and health-related quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes: a protocol for a network meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

The increase in the number of patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is in need of effective management interventions. However, research to date has been limited to the evaluation of the outcomes of community pharmacists alone. Therefore, the aim of the study protocol is to compare the effects of clinical pharmacist-led intervention strategies for the management of T2DM in the outpatient settings.

METHOD AND ANALYSIS

The study will collect and analyse data applying standard Cochrane methodological procedures. A search for eligible studies and ongoing trials will be conducted using PubMed, Embase, Medline (via Ovid), EBSCO (via Ovid), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) Journals (via Ovid), ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, and ClinicalTrials.gov (clinicaltrials.gov) from database inception to December 2023. Clinical and health outcomes will be measured using both glycaemic control related indicators (eg, glycated haemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose) and general indicators (eg, adherence, disease management and health-related quality of life). The meta-analysis will conduct pairwise meta-analysis using random effects models and network meta-analysis (NMA) employing the Bayesian hierarchical model. The visualisation and statistical analysis will be carried out using RevMan, R Studio and ADDIS. Additionally, we will evaluate the certainty of the evidence by using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

There will be no primary data collection from NMA participants, and there is no requirement for formal ethical review. Our aim is to present the results of this NMA in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, at conferences, and in the mainstream media.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022355368.

General practitioners' perceptions of the roles of community pharmacists and their willingness to collaborate with pharmacists in primary care

BACKGROUND

Community pharmacists (CPs) have the capacity to contribute to patient care given their expertise in medication and accessibility to residents in the community. However, multidisciplinary patient care programmes where CPs collaborate with general practitioners (GPs) in patient care is rare in Singapore despite increasing healthcare demand.

OBJECTIVES

This study explores GPs' perceptions of CPs' current roles and GPs' ideas for and attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration.

METHODS

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 private GPs from August to December 2020 via an online video-chat platform. GPs were recruited from the Primacy Care Research Network (pcRn), primary care networks, and using snowballing strategies. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded thematically.

RESULTS

Current working relationships between GPs and CPs appeared amicable but limited. GPs appreciate the existing roles of CPs: dispensing drugs not stocked in their practices and clarifying prescription details. Still, GPs appeared to rarely consider collaborative working. GPs acknowledged that CPs could enhance patient care with initiatives including medication reconciliation and advising on using medical devices. It was suggested that CPs could coordinate the purchase of drugs for primary care networks to improve GPs' inventory management, but less enthusiasm was expressed for clinical collaborations with CPs. Major concerns about GP-CP clinical collaborations included direct competition with GPs' own business interests, perceived low acceptability of pharmacy-led services by patients (citing extra time and cost), threat to continuity of care and the absence of a shared patient electronic health record system. Current funding mechanisms do not enable reimbursement of clinical services provided by CPs. Adoption of telemedicine technologies and governmental financial support were identified as possible enablers of GP-CP collaboration.

CONCLUSIONS

GPs saw potential in CPs' increased involvement in patient care, but perceived multiple barriers. Strategies focusing on overcoming these barriers could enable GP-CP collaboration to enhance patient care.

A systematic review of the role of community pharmacists in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases: the perceptions of patients

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality globally. The modifiable risk factors can be measured and identified early at primary healthcare facilities. Community pharmacists present an opportunity for improved management of cardiovascular diseases and health outcomes. The systematic review aims to identify the roles of community pharmacists in preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases and patients' perceptions towards such functions.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The team searched MEDLINE, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, and Web of Science from January 2001 to December 2021 with a focus on studies reporting the role of community pharmacists in preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases, and patients' perceptions of such roles. Search terms included were ''interventions,'' ''community pharmacists,'' ''patients,'' ''cardiovascular diseases,'' ''risk factors,'' and "perceptions". The quality of studies was appraised using the Joanne Briggs Institute checklist.

RESULTS

A total of 45 studies met the inclusion criteria: 35 (78%) and 10 (22%) reported community pharmacists' preventive and control roles, respectively. Generally, drug therapy monitoring, medicine and lifestyle counselling, and health education were most common roles, with pharmacist-initiated prescribing and social support least common. A total of 11 (24%) studies reported patients' perceptions of community pharmacists' contribution in preventing (73%, n = 8) and controlling (27%, n = 3) cardiovascular diseases. Patients were satisfied with community pharmacists' services in 10 of 11 studies.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight community pharmacists' capability of providing primary healthcare services in preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases and provide evidence for their inclusion in primary healthcare frameworks. Future research should assess the effectiveness of these roles and provide a comprehensive evaluation of clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework (OSF) registration https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WGFXT .

Development, Feasibility, Impact and Acceptability of a Community Pharmacy-Based Diabetes Care Plan in a Low-Middle-Income Country

Informed by existing research, mostly from high-income countries, this study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of a community pharmacy person-centred goal-setting intervention for people living with type 2 diabetes in a low-middle-income country-Nigeria. The Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance for developing complex interventions framed the intervention development. Patients participated in monthly community pharmacist consultations over six months. Self-reported and clinical outcome measures were collected at baseline and study completion and analysed in STATA V.14. Twenty pharmacists in 20 pharmacies completed the research and enrolled 104 patients. Of these, 89 patients had complete study data, and 70 patients also completed a post-study evaluation questionnaire. In addition, 15 patients and 10 pharmacists were interviewed. All outcome measures showed statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05). Clinical outcomes (BMI, waist circumference, and fasting plasma glucose) improved significantly. Mean patient activation measure (PAM©), quality of life (EQ-VAS©), and medication adherence improved from baseline to study completion. Eighty-eight per cent of questionnaire respondents were satisfied with the service. Interviews indicated care plan acceptability, patient satisfaction, empowerment, and service enthusiasm. Identified barriers to the consultations included time and technology. This study developed a feasible, effective, well-perceived community pharmacy diabetes care plan in Nigeria.

Quality improvement strategies for diabetes care: Effects on outcomes for adults living with diabetes

BACKGROUND

There is a large body of evidence evaluating quality improvement (QI) programmes to improve care for adults living with diabetes. These programmes are often comprised of multiple QI strategies, which may be implemented in various combinations. Decision-makers planning to implement or evaluate a new QI programme, or both, need reliable evidence on the relative effectiveness of different QI strategies (individually and in combination) for different patient populations.

OBJECTIVES

To update existing systematic reviews of diabetes QI programmes and apply novel meta-analytical techniques to estimate the effectiveness of QI strategies (individually and in combination) on diabetes quality of care.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL) and trials registers (ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO ICTRP) to 4 June 2019. We conducted a top-up search to 23 September 2021; we screened these search results and 42 studies meeting our eligibility criteria are available in the awaiting classification section.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised trials that assessed a QI programme to improve care in outpatient settings for people living with diabetes. QI programmes needed to evaluate at least one system- or provider-targeted QI strategy alone or in combination with a patient-targeted strategy. - System-targeted: case management (CM); team changes (TC); electronic patient registry (EPR); facilitated relay of clinical information (FR); continuous quality improvement (CQI). - Provider-targeted: audit and feedback (AF); clinician education (CE); clinician reminders (CR); financial incentives (FI). - Patient-targeted: patient education (PE); promotion of self-management (PSM); patient reminders (PR). Patient-targeted QI strategies needed to occur with a minimum of one provider or system-targeted strategy.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We dual-screened search results and abstracted data on study design, study population and QI strategies. We assessed the impact of the programmes on 13 measures of diabetes care, including: glycaemic control (e.g. mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)); cardiovascular risk factor management (e.g. mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), proportion of people living with diabetes that quit smoking or receiving cardiovascular medications); and screening/prevention of microvascular complications (e.g. proportion of patients receiving retinopathy or foot screening); and harms (e.g. proportion of patients experiencing adverse hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia). We modelled the association of each QI strategy with outcomes using a series of hierarchical multivariable meta-regression models in a Bayesian framework. The previous version of this review identified that different strategies were more or less effective depending on baseline levels of outcomes. To explore this further, we extended the main additive model for continuous outcomes (HbA1c, SBP and LDL-C) to include an interaction term between each strategy and average baseline risk for each study (baseline thresholds were based on a data-driven approach; we used the median of all baseline values reported in the trials). Based on model diagnostics, the baseline interaction models for HbA1c, SBP and LDL-C performed better than the main model and are therefore presented as the primary analyses for these outcomes. Based on the model results, we qualitatively ordered each QI strategy within three tiers (Top, Middle, Bottom) based on its magnitude of effect relative to the other QI strategies, where 'Top' indicates that the QI strategy was likely one of the most effective strategies for that specific outcome. Secondary analyses explored the sensitivity of results to choices in model specification and priors.  Additional information about the methods and results of the review are available as Appendices in an online repository. This review will be maintained as a living systematic review; we will update our syntheses as more data become available.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified 553 trials (428 patient-randomised and 125 cluster-randomised trials), including a total of 412,161 participants. Of the included studies, 66% involved people living with type 2 diabetes only. Participants were 50% female and the median age of participants was 58.4 years. The mean duration of follow-up was 12.5 months. HbA1c was the commonest reported outcome; screening outcomes and outcomes related to cardiovascular medications, smoking and harms were reported infrequently. The most frequently evaluated QI strategies across all study arms were PE, PSM and CM, while the least frequently evaluated QI strategies included AF, FI and CQI. Our confidence in the evidence is limited due to a lack of information on how studies were conducted.  Four QI strategies (CM, TC, PE, PSM) were consistently identified as 'Top' across the majority of outcomes. All QI strategies were ranked as 'Top' for at least one key outcome. The majority of effects of individual QI strategies were modest, but when used in combination could result in meaningful population-level improvements across the majority of outcomes. The median number of QI strategies in multicomponent QI programmes was three.  Combinations of the three most effective QI strategies were estimated to lead to the below effects:  - PR + PSM + CE: decrease in HbA1c by 0.41% (credibility interval (CrI) -0.61 to -0.22) when baseline HbA1c < 8.3%; - CM + PE + EPR: decrease in HbA1c by 0.62% (CrI -0.84 to -0.39) when baseline HbA1c > 8.3%;  - PE + TC + PSM: reduction in SBP by 2.14 mmHg (CrI -3.80 to -0.52) when baseline SBP < 136 mmHg; - CM + TC + PSM: reduction in SBP by 4.39 mmHg (CrI -6.20 to -2.56) when baseline SBP > 136 mmHg;  - TC + PE + CM: LDL-C lowering of 5.73 mg/dL (CrI -7.93 to -3.61) when baseline LDL < 107 mg/dL; - TC + CM + CR: LDL-C lowering by 5.52 mg/dL (CrI -9.24 to -1.89) when baseline LDL > 107 mg/dL. Assuming a baseline screening rate of 50%, the three most effective QI strategies were estimated to lead to an absolute improvement of 33% in retinopathy screening (PE + PR + TC) and 38% absolute increase in foot screening (PE + TC + Other).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is a significant body of evidence about QI programmes to improve the management of diabetes. Multicomponent QI programmes for diabetes care (comprised of effective QI strategies) may achieve meaningful population-level improvements across the majority of outcomes. For health system decision-makers, the evidence summarised in this review can be used to identify strategies to include in QI programmes. For researchers, this synthesis identifies higher-priority QI strategies to examine in further research regarding how to optimise their evaluation and effects. We will maintain this as a living systematic review.

Community pharmacist-led interventions for patients with type 2 diabetes in low-income and middle-income countries: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Studies assessing community pharmacist-led interventions conducted in high-income countries indicate that community pharmacists are successful in taking opportunities to support diabetes management. It is not yet clear as to what extent this is also true for low-income and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVES

To provide an overview of the types of interventions performed by community pharmacists and available evidence about their effects on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in low-income and middle-income countries.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for (non) randomized controlled, before-and-after, and interrupted time series design studies. There was no restriction on publication language. Interventions to be included had to be delivered by community pharmacists in a primary care or community setting. Study quality was assessed using the National Institute of Health tools, with results analyzed qualitatively, and the review itself was conducted in accordance with guidelines for scoping reviews.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight studies were included, representing 4,434 patients (mean age from 47.4 to 59.5 years, 55.4% female) from community pharmacies (16 studies), primary care centers (8 studies) or community setting (4 studies). Four studies were single-component and the remaining represented multi-component interventions. Face-to-face counseling of patients was the most common intervention, often combined with the provision of printed materials, remote consultations, or conducting medication reviews. Generally, studies showed improved outcomes in the intervention group, including clinical, patient-reported and medication safety outcomes. In most studies, at least one domain was judged to be of poor quality, with heterogeneity among studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Community pharmacist-led interventions on type 2 diabetes mellitus patients showed various positive effects but the quality of the evidence was poor. Face-to-face counseling of varying intensity, often combined with other strategies and representing a multi-component intervention, was the most common type. Although these findings support the expansion of the community pharmacist's role in diabetes care in low-income and middle-income countries, better quality studies are needed to evaluate the impact of specific interventions.

The intervention strategies and service model for pharmacist-led diabetes management: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

There is increasing intervention activities provided during pharmacist-led diabetes management. Nevertheless, there is an unclear definition of the activities involved during the intervention. Thus, this study aimed to describe the type of intervention strategies and service model provided during pharmacist-led type 2 diabetes management and service outcomes.

METHODS

This study utilized the scoping review methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual 2015. Articles on pharmacist-led diabetes management focusing on the service content, delivery methods, settings, frequency of appointments, collaborative work with other healthcare providers, and reported outcomes were searched and identified from four electronic databases: Ovid Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from 1990 to October 2020. Relevant medical subject headings and keywords, such as "diabetes," "medication adherence," "blood glucose," "HbA1c," and "pharmacist," were used to identify published articles.

RESULTS

The systematic search retrieved 4,370 articles, of which 61 articles met the inclusion criteria. The types of intervention strategies and delivery methods were identified from the studies based on the description of activities reported in the articles and were tabulated in a summary table.

CONCLUSION

There were variations in the descriptions of intervention strategies, which could be classified into diabetes education, medication review, drug consultation/counseling, clinical intervention, lifestyle adjustment, self-care, peer support, and behavioral intervention. In addition, most studies used a combination of two or more intervention strategy categories when providing services, with no specific pattern between the service model and patient outcomes.

Glycaemic control and its associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes in the Middle East and North Africa: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims

To examine the patient‐related factors that have been linked to glycaemic control in people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Middle Eastern countries.

Design

A systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Data Sources

A computerized search was conducted using the databases MEDLINE (via PubMed and Ovid), EMBASE, Scopus and CINAHL to identify peer‐reviewed articles published in English between 1 January 2010 and 21 May 2020. On 28 June 2021, the search was updated with the same keywords and databases; however, no further relevant studies were identified.

Review Methods

Extracted data were analysed using Review Manager 5.4.

Results

The final sample consisted of 54 articles with a total of 41,079 participants. Pooled data showed an increased risk of inadequate glycaemic control in smokers [OR = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 1.52; p = .010], obese patients (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.54; p = .002), patients with elevated waist to hip ratio (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.26; p = .004) and longer disease duration (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.48; p < .001). A lower risk of inadequate control was associated with physical activity (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.67; p < .001) and self‐management (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.82; p = .006).

Conclusion

These findings highlight the opportunity to address factors to improve glycaemic control. Further longitudinal studies are required to better understand these variations, to assess all predictors of glycaemic control in participants with type 2 diabetes, and to provide a strong basis for future measures to optimize glycaemic control.

Opportunities for extended community pharmacy services in United Arab Emirates: perception, practice, perceived barriers and willingness among community pharmacists

Background

Community pharmacies are widely distributed in the United Arab Emirates where community pharmacists’ (CPs’) perspectives on provision of extended community pharmacy services (ECPS) is not known. This study assessed CPs perception, practices, perceived barriers and willingness to provide ECPS.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional survey using a self-administered Likert-type questionnaire (Cronbach alpha = 0.976) was conducted among 195 community CPs in Northern emirates, selected through multistage sampling technique. The filled questionnaires were assessed for CPs’ perception, practice, perceived barriers and willingness to perform ECPS. Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests examined the association between demography and outcome variables (alpha value of 0.05) with further analysis using Dunn’ post hoc test.

Results

Of the respondents, 71.8% (n = 140) ‘strongly agreed’ that every CP must provide ECPs and 39% (n = 76) ‘strongly agreed’ in supporting ECPS with another 44.1% (n = 86) ‘agreed’ on the same. The major barriers felt by CPs in practicing ECPS were lack of incentive for employee pharmacists [3 (2–3)], lack of documentation [3 (2–3)], insufficient time [3 (2–3)] and lack of patients’ demand [(2–3)]; maximum score (5–5). CPs also responded ‘completely’ willing to provide services such as blood pressure measurement, pregnancy testing and BMI measurement. Pharmacy location influenced practice score (p = 0.008) and access to the internet had a significant effect on barriers score (p = 0.000). Availability of drug information sources impacted perception (p = 0.038), practice (p = 0.000) and willingness scores (p = 0.011).

Conclusions

CPs’ perception on providing ECPS was positive and they are currently offering ECPS within their available resources and facilities. Less demand from patients and lack of time were reportedly the major barriers in offering ECPS. Proper utilization of CPs in providing ECPS can complement the healthcare system with additional cost and time savings for the patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40545-022-00418-y.

Impact of Pharmacists-Led Interventions in Primary Care for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes on HbA1c Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is responsible for an important premature mortality. Pharmacists involved in community-based pharmaceutical care services could help patients with diabetes through education and management as they participate in their regular and long-term care. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between interventions led by pharmacists in the primary care setting and mean change in HbA1c levels. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies with a control group were included. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to compare the mean change in HbA1c values between baseline and end of the intervention in each group. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity. Twelve articles were included. The results showed that pharmacist’s interventions significantly reduced HbA1c compared to usual care with an overall SMD of −0.67 (95% CI = [−0.87; −0.48], p < 0.0001). Even if no significant difference between subgroups were found, the reduction of HbA1c seemed more important when baseline HbA1c was ≥8.5%, the intervention occurred monthly, in a primary care center and in countries with a lower human development index. Our results suggest that pharmacists-led interventions in the primary care setting can improve glycemic control for adults with T2D.

Impact of Pharmacist-Led Diabetes Self-Care Education on Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in Pakistan: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: There is a little evidence on efficacy of pharmacy-based interventions on clinical outcomes of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Pakistan.

Objective: To appraise the impact of pharmacist-led self-care education on glycemic control, self-care practices and disease knowledge of T2DM patients with poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7%).

Methods: In this 6-months, randomized controlled trial (RCT), n = 75, T2DM patients seeking care at a diabetes clinic were randomized in to two groups. Intervention group (n = 38) received two face-to-face educational sessions (at enrollment and on week 12), whereas control group (n = 37) received usual care. Outcome measures such as glycemic control, self-care practices and disease knowledge were assessed at the time of enrollment and after 6-months in both groups.

Results: Thirty-three intervention and thirty-three participants from the control group completed the study. Mean glycated hemoglobin (% HbA1c) significantly reduced in the intervention group from 9.00 ± 1.43 to 8.09 ± 1.16 (p < .01). However, no significant change was observed in the control group (9.20 ± 1.24 to 8.93 ± .97; p = .06). Cohen’s d effect size of the intervention on HbA1c was .78. Percentage of participants achieving glycemic control (HbA1c < 7%) were significantly higher (p < .05) in the intervention group as compared to the control group (twenty-four vs. six), after 6 months of the trial. A significant (p < .01) improvement in mean scores for disease knowledge and self-care activities was also observed in the intervention group participants, whereas no significant improvements (p > .05) were observed in the control group.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated an improvement in glycemic control, disease knowledge and self-care activities of T2DM patients who received pharmacist-led educational intervention. The study findings support clinical significance of integrating pharmacy-based interventions in diabetes management.

Comprehensive Care for Patients with Diabetes in Ramadan: A Module for Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists

Introduction

Prior studies show that many patients with diabetes whose health maybe impacted by fasting, choose to fast during Ramadan. This study describes the implementation and evaluation of an online module targeting bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) and doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students that aims to improve participants' knowledge, communication, and self-efficacy concerning proper care for patients with diabetes in Ramadan.

Methods

An online module consisting of two phases targeting both BPharm and PharmD students was implemented over two semesters in fall 2020 and spring 2021. Participants were directed to fill pre-module and post-module assessments to evaluate the change in their knowledge and self-efficacy using two scales. Pre- and post-survey data for participants’ knowledge and self-efficacy were analyzed for significance using paired sample t-tests. Qualitative data analysis was performed to assess participants’ responses to the open-ended question concerning what they liked and disliked about the module.

Results

All BPharm and PharmD students taking the lesson responded to both the baseline survey and the follow-up one resulting in 92 responses (participation rate of 100%). The average score for participants in the pre-module self-efficacy section was 1.5 (SD = 1) and increased post-module to 3.5 (SD = 0.7), t (91) = 20.2, p < 0.001. Further, the average score for participants in the pre-module knowledge section was 14 (SD = 3), which similarly increased to 22 (SD = 3) post-module t (91) = 19.7, p < 0.001. Qualitative analysis provided insights on how participants perceived the module design, content, and its impact on practice. Participants described the module as an informative one that addresses a much-needed issue they haven’t been exposed to before. They emphasized how the module addresses the cultural needs of patients in their communities. They particularly appreciated seeing instructor videos depicting real-life scenarios and the focus on their communication skills, but some preferred learning about this topic through live sessions.

Conclusion

An online module positively impacted both self-efficacy and knowledge in relation to caring for patients with diabetes considering fasting in Ramadan. Future studies should explore how different versions of this module can be integrated into educational activities for pharmacy students, pharmacists in different settings, and for other health care professionals.

The first nationwide implementation of pharmaceutical care practices through a continuing professional development approach for community pharmacists

BACKGROUND

Noncommunicable diseases account for the majority of all deaths and impose a high socioeconomic burden, causing disability and premature deaths. Pharmacists can contribute to the prevention and management of these diseases through the provision of pharmaceutical care services.

AIM

The aim of this study was to implement a nationwide practice developed by the Turkish Pharmacists' Association aiming to realize pharmaceutical care provision of standard quality to patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension at community pharmacies through a continuing professional development approach.

SETTING

Community pharmacies in Turkey.

DEVELOPMENT

A project with the involvement of all community pharmacists who were willing to participate was developed. After piloting, the 'project' turned into a 'practice' with a focus on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension management.

IMPLEMENTATION

The training process occurred as a peer-training activity. Consultants and academic staff trained the trainer pharmacists during a 3-day course. Community pharmacists (n = 6161) received training regarding pharmaceutical care, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension from their peer trainers (n = 341) and began to practice pharmaceutical care and follow-up of patients' outcomes on a regular basis.

EVALUATION

Among all community pharmacists in Turkey (n = 26,177), 24% attended training. Among these pharmacists, 21% started to implement practice. With community pharmacists' contribution to patient care, significant improvements in the majority of the outcome parameters regarding asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension management were noted.

CONCLUSION

This first nationwide practice showed us that community pharmacists can help improve the health outcomes of patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension through the provision of pharmaceutical care services.

Development and evaluation of clinical reasoning using 'think aloud' approach in pharmacy undergraduates - A mixed-methods study

Introduction

Given the widespread use of clinical reasoning (CR) in the healthcare practice, it is essential to inculcate the CR practice in undergraduate pharmacy education which can not only facilitate their clinical education and clinical rotations but can also help them become better clinical pharmacists. There is very limited CR employed in the pharmacy curriculum and practice in the Middle East countries. This study aimed to develop and evaluate CR practice in pharmacy undergraduates in one college of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

We employed a mixed-methods methodology that included two phases. In Phase I, students were introduced to CR practice ('think aloud' method) and given geriatric clinical cases which they used in two sessions together with a tutor. This was followed by the writing of SOAP notes using the tutor feedback and completion of a survey that included a self-reflection about their experience of using the CR method. Phase II included face-to-face semi-structured interviews involving selected students that were recruited via convenience sampling to further explore the issues identified in Phase I of the study.

Results

Of the 155 students who completed the survey (response rate 94%), the majority of them agreed that CR using the 'think aloud' method was useful in gathering (92%) and interpreting (95%) relevant patient information, identifying medication-related problems (95%), exploring therapeutic options for the problem(s) (93%) and formulating a treatment plan for the patient (90%). Qualitative data analysis of the 12 interviews was consistent with these findings. Furthermore, it provided an insight into the challenges faced by the students in applying this CR method.

Conclusions

Students found the practice of CR using the 'think aloud' method helpful in working through given cases and taking clinical decisions. This method can be widely employed in pharmacy education and practice.

Impact of Pharmacist-Led Interventions on Diabetes Management at a Community Pharmacy in Pakistan: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

The study aimed to determine the impact of pharmacist-led interventions on diabetes management at a community pharmacy in Pakistan.

Methods

A one-month follow-up, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was carried out between December 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017. Sampling population consisted of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study population was randomized to a control group or an intervention group to determine the impact of a community pharmacist intervention on glycemic control fasting blood glucose (FBG) and random blood glucose (RBG), medication adherence (MMAS), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (EQ-5D-3L). Both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventional tools were used that consist of array of charts and verbal communication by pharmacist. Outcomes for continuous variables were analyzed using paired sample t-test for time effect and one sample t-test to evaluate the study group effect. Independent sample t-test was used to compare each independent variable with dependent variable. A P-value of <.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The control and intervention groups showed significant improvement (P-value < .05) in glycemic control, medication adherence, and HRQoL. However, the difference between the control and intervention groups was not statistically significant in terms of blood glucose levels and HRQoL (time trade off, TTO). There was a clinically significant association between pharmacist intervention and predefined glycemic control among the study participants (FBG: P-value < .001 and RBG: P-value = .04). A clinically significant association was also found between pharmacist intervention and medication adherence at the end of the trial compared with baseline values (P-value < .001). Similarly, a clinically significant association was found between pharmacist intervention and predefined HRQoL [TTO: P-value = .002 and EQ-VAS: P-value = .001].

Conclusion

A significant proportion of T2DM patients in the intervention group achieved predefined glycemic control, medication adherence, and health related quality of life.

EMDIA Case Series-Effective Medication Therapy Management (MTM) for Diabetes Type 2 Patients-A Proof of Concept Study

Background: A 2016 meta-analysis of pharmaceutical care for patients with diabetes mellitus showed that the following four components were most effective: (a) individual goal setting, (b) sending feedback to the physician, (c) reviewing the medication, and (d) reviewing blood glucose measurements. Methods: To formulate a hypothesis regarding the effect of these four pharmaceutical care components on glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus and the feasibility of these components in practice. Ten patients with type 2 diabetes were included in the case series and received medication therapy management over four months. Results: The four care components were feasible in everyday practice and could be implemented within one patient visit. The average visits were 49 and 28 min at the beginning and end of the study, respectively. The glycated hemoglobin values did not change over the study period, though the fasting blood glucose decreased from 142 to 120 mg/dl, and the number of unsolved drug-related problems decreased from 6.9 to 1.9 per patient by the study end. Conclusions: This case series supports the hypothesis that community pharmacists can implement structured pharmaceutical care in everyday pharmacy practice for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Impact of community-pharmacist-led medication review programmes on patient outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND

The role of pharmacists has evolved over the past few decades from being product-oriented to being service-oriented. Community-pharmacist-led medication review programmes have been commissioned in different countries under different names. The services provided by general pharmacists can have a positive impact on patient health, but the impact of the services offered by community pharmacists is relatively unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of community-pharmacist-based medication review programmes among patients with long-term conditions.

METHODS

The electronic databases Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Embase were searched from their inception until January 2020 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the English language assessing the effectiveness of community-pharmacist-led medication review programmes on patients' clinical and healthcare utilisation outcomes. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool data statistically, where applicable. The study protocol was published in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020165693).

RESULTS

Forty-two reports of 40 RCTs were included in the systematic review, and 12 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to the control, a significant improvement was noted in the community-pharmacist-based medication review group for the following outcomes: blood pressure (BP) in patients with diabetes (mean difference [MD] in systolic blood pressure [SBP]: 6.82 [95% CI -11.33, -2.32]; MD in diastolic blood pressure [DBP]: 2.13 [95% CI -3.35, -0.92]) and in the hypertension patients (MD in SBP: 6.21 [95% CI -13.26, 0.85]; MD in DBP: 2.11 [95% CI -6.47, 2.26]), HbA1c in patients with diabetes (MD -0.61; 95% CI -0.96, -0.25), and total cholesterol (TC) in patients with hyperlipidaemia (MD -0.18; 95% CI -0.32, -0.05).

CONCLUSION

Community-pharmacist-led medication review can improve certain clinical and healthcare utilisation outcomes in patients with long-term conditions.

A Role for Primary Care Pharmacists in the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease? Lessons from Chronic Disease: A Systematic Review

Background and aims: Chronic disease, particularly inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), requires a multifaceted approach to managing patients, but it is apparent that primary care pharmacists are being underutilized. To demonstrate the benefits of pharmacist interventions in primary care, a systematic review was conducted of interventions in asthma and type 2 diabetes where pharmacists have a defined role in chronic disease management. We also explored potential opportunities for primary care pharmacists to deliver tailored care to patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: The search strategy retrieved original research articles from seven databases; eligible articles were assessed for inclusion. Quality appraisal was performed independently by two reviewers. Results: Thirty-seven included studies were grouped into four categories of interventions: education/counseling (43%), medication management (34%), monitoring/follow-up (17%), and screening/risk prevention (6%). Education plus counseling was reported as the main intervention delivered by pharmacists. Three measurable outcomes were identified: clinical, humanistic (e.g., quality of life), and economic. Clinical outcomes (63%) were reported more commonly than humanistic (26%) and economic (11%) outcomes. Pharmacist interventions led to statistically significant improvements in control of disease, severity, and medication adherence, as well as improvements in overall patient satisfaction, quality of life among patients with asthma and type 2 diabetes. Conclusion: As one of the most accessible sources of primary health care, pharmacists are well-placed to minimize the impact of chronic diseases on patients and communities. Evidence suggests there are opportunities for primary care pharmacists to play a more active role in the management of chronic diseases such as IBD.

An Electronic Clinical Decision Support System for the Management of Low Back Pain in Community Pharmacy: Development and Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Background

People with low back pain (LBP) in the community often do not receive evidence-based advice and management. Community pharmacists can play an important role in supporting people with LBP as pharmacists are easily accessible to provide first-line care. However, previous research suggests that pharmacists may not consistently deliver advice that is concordant with guideline recommendations and may demonstrate difficulty determining which patients require prompt medical review. A clinical decision support system (CDSS) may enhance first-line care of LBP, but none exists to support the community pharmacist–client consultation.

Objective

This study aimed to develop a CDSS to guide first-line care of LBP in the community pharmacy setting and to evaluate the pharmacist-reported usability and acceptance of the prototype system.

Methods

A cross-platform Web app for the Apple iPad was developed in conjunction with academic and clinical experts using an iterative user-centered design process during interface design, clinical reasoning, program development, and evaluation. The CDSS was evaluated via one-to-one user-testing with 5 community pharmacists (5 case vignettes each). Data were collected via video recording, screen capture, survey instrument (system usability scale), and direct observation.

Results

Pharmacists’ agreement with CDSS-generated self-care recommendations was 90% (18/20), with medicines recommendations was 100% (25/25), and with referral advice was 88% (22/25; total 70 recommendations). Pharmacists expressed uncertainty when screening for serious pathology in 40% (10/25) of cases. Pharmacists requested more direction from the CDSS in relation to automated prompts for user input and page navigation. Overall system usability was rated as excellent (mean score 92/100, SD 6.5; 90th percentile compared with similar systems), with acceptance rated as good to excellent.

Conclusions

A novel CDSS (high-fidelity prototype) to enhance pharmacist care of LBP was developed, underpinned by clinical practice guidelines and informed by a multidisciplinary team of experts. User-testing revealed a high level of usability and acceptance of the prototype system, with suggestions to improve interface prompts and information delivery. The small study sample limits the generalizability of the findings but offers important insights to inform the next stage of system development.

The role of community pharmacists and their position in the delivery of diabetes care: an update for medical professionals

Pharmacists are the third largest group of healthcare professionals worldwide, but are underused in the delivery of diabetes care. The aim of this narrative was to describe how integration of community pharmacy services into existing healthcare models may improve diabetes care. Relevant literature exploring pharmacy-led interventions for diabetes were identified from a search of Medline, Embase and Cinahl online databases. This review highlights that community pharmacists are accessible, experts in medicine management, trusted by the public and able to achieve financial savings. They are poorly integrated into existing healthcare models, and commissioning arrangements can be poorly perceived by the public and those working in primary care. Community pharmacy interventions in type 2 diabetes have similar, if not greater effects compared to those delivered by other healthcare professionals. It was concluded that community pharmacy interventions in diabetes are feasible, acceptable and deliver improved health outcomes. Future work should build public recognition of pharmacists and improve communication between them and other healthcare professionals.

Pharmaceutical care-based interventions in type 2 diabetes mellitus : a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Objective

To investigate the impact of pharmaceutical care-based interventions on type 2 diabetes mellitus .

Methods

PubMed^®, Cochrane and Web of Science data bases were searched for randomized controlled clinical trials. Studies evaluating pharmaceutical care-based interventions in type 2 diabetes mellitus published between 2012 and 2017 were included. Glycated hemoglobin was defined as the primary endpoint; blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol as secondary endpoints. The random effects model was used in meta-analysis.

Results

Fifteen trials involving 2,325 participants were included. Meta-analysis revealed considerable heterogeneity (I²>97%; p<0.001), reduction in glycated hemoglobin (-1.07%; 95%CI: -1.32; -0.83; p<0.001), glucose (-29.91mg/dL; 95%CI: -43.2; -16.6; p<0.001), triglyceride (19.8mg/dL; 95%CI: -36.6; -3.04; p=0.021), systolic blood pressure (-4.65mmHg; 95%CI: -8.9; -0.4; p=0.032) levels, and increased HDL levels (4.43mg/dL; 95%CI: 0.16; 8.70; p=0.042).

Conclusion

Pharmaceutical care-based clincal and education interventions have significant impact on type 2 diabetes mellitus . The tools Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale may be useful to monitor patients.

Compared benefits of educational programs dedicated to diabetic patients with or without community pharmacist involvement

Background:

International guidelines on diabetes control strongly encourage the setting-up of therapeutic educational programs (TEP). However, more than half of the patients fail to control their diabetes a few months post-TEP because of a lack of regular follow-up by medical professionals. The DIAB-CH is a TEP associated with the follow-up of diabetic patients by the community pharmacist.

Aim:

To compare the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI) in diabetic patients of Control (neither TEP-H nor community pharmacist intervention), TEP-H (TEP in hospital only) and DIAB-CH (TEP-H plus community pharmacist follow-up) groups.

Methods:

A comparative cohort study design was applied. Patients included in the TEP-H from July 2017 to December 2017 were enrolled in the DIAB-CH group. The TEP-H session was conducted by a multidisciplinary team composed of two diabetologists, two dieticians and seven nurses. The HbA1c level and the BMI (when over 30 kg/m2at M0) of patients in Control (n= 20), TEP-H (n= 20) and DIAB-CH (n= 20) groups were collected at M0, M0 + 6 and M0 + 12 months. First, HbA1c and BMI were compared between M0, M6 and M12 in the three groups with the Friedman test, followed by the Benjamini-Hochberg post-test. Secondly, the HbA1c and BMI of the three groups were compared at M0, M6 and M12 using the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Findings:

While no difference in HbA1c was measured between M0, M6 and M12 in the Control group, Hb1Ac was significantly reduced in both TEP-H and DIAB-CH groups between M0 and M6 (P= 0.0072 andP= 0.0034, respectively), and between M0 and M12 only in the DIAB-CH group (P= 0.0027). In addition, a significant decrease in the difference between the measured HbA1c and the target assigned by diabetologists was observed between M0 and M6 in both TEP-H and DIAB-CH groups (P= 0.0072 andP= 0.0044, respectively) but only for the patients of the DIAB-CH group between M0 and M12 (P= 0.0044). No significant difference (P> 0.05) in BMI between the groups was observed.

Conclusion:

The long-lasting benefit on glycemic control of multidisciplinary group sessions associated with community pharmacist-led educational interventions on self-care for diabetic patients was demonstrated in the present study. There is thus evidence pointing to the effectiveness of a community/hospital care collaboration of professionals on diabetes control in primary care.

Community pharmacy interventions for health promotion: effects on professional practice and health outcomes

BACKGROUND

Community pharmacies are an easily accessible and cost-effective platform for delivering health care worldwide, and the range of services provided has undergone rapid expansion in recent years. Thus, in addition to dispensing medication, pharmacy workers within community pharmacies now give advice on a range of health-promoting behaviours that aim to improve health and to optimise the management of long-term conditions. However, it remains uncertain whether these health-promotion interventions can change the professional practice of pharmacy workers, improve health behaviours and outcomes for pharmacy users and have the potential to address health inequalities.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness and safety of health-promotion interventions to change community pharmacy workers' professional practice and improve outcomes for users of community pharmacies.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, six other databases and two trials registers to 6 February 2018. We also conducted reference checking, citation searches and contacted study authors to identify any additional studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised trials of health-promotion interventions in community pharmacies targeted at, or delivered by, pharmacy workers that aimed to improve the health-related behaviour of people attending the pharmacy compared to no treatment, or usual treatment received in the community pharmacy. We excluded interventions where there was no interaction between pharmacy workers and pharmacy users, and those that focused on medication use only.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard procedures recommended by Cochrane and the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care review group for both data collection and analysis. We compared intervention to no intervention or to usual treatment using standardised mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) (higher scores represent better outcomes for pharmacy user health-related behaviour and quality of life, and lower scores represent better outcomes for clinical outcomes, costs and adverse events). Interpretation of effect sizes (SMD) was in line with Cochrane recommendations.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 57 randomised trials with 16,220 participants, described in 83 reports. Forty-nine studies were conducted in high-income countries, and eight in middle-income countries. We found no studies that had been conducted in low-income countries. Most interventions were educational, or incorporated skills training. Interventions were directed at pharmacy workers (n = 8), pharmacy users (n = 13), or both (n = 36). The clinical areas most frequently studied were diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and modification of cardiovascular risk. Duration of follow-up of interventions was often unclear. Only five studies gave details about the theoretical basis for the intervention, and studies did not provide sufficient data to comment on health inequalities. The most common sources of bias were lack of protection against contamination - mainly in individually randomised studies - and inadequate blinding of participants. The certainty of the evidence for all outcomes was moderate. We downgraded the certainty because of the heterogeneity across studies and evidence of potential publication bias. Professional practice outcomes We conducted a narrative analysis for pharmacy worker behaviour due to high heterogeneity in the results. Health-promotion interventions probably improve pharmacy workers' behaviour (2944 participants; 9 studies; moderate-certainty evidence) when compared to no intervention. These studies typically assessed behaviour using a simulated patient (mystery shopper) methodology. Pharmacy user outcomes Health-promotion interventions probably lead to a slight improvement in health-related behaviours of pharmacy users when compared to usual treatment (SMD 0.43, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.72; I² = 89%; 10 trials; 2138 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). These interventions probably also lead to a slight improvement in intermediate clinical outcomes, such as levels of cholesterol or glycated haemoglobin, for pharmacy users (SMD -0.43, 95% CI -0.65 to -0.21; I² = 90%; 20 trials; 3971 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). We identified no studies that evaluated the impact of health-promotion interventions on event-based clinical outcomes, such as stroke or myocardial infarction, or the psychological well-being of pharmacy users. Health-promotion interventions probably lead to a slight improvement in quality of life for pharmacy users (SMD 0.29, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.50; I²= 82%; 10 trials, 2687 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Adverse events No studies reported adverse events for either pharmacy workers or pharmacy users. Costs We found that health-promotion interventions are likely to be cost-effective, based on moderate-certainty evidence from five of seven studies that reported an economic evaluation.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Health-promotion interventions in the community pharmacy context probably improve pharmacy workers' behaviour and probably have a slight beneficial effect on health-related behaviour, intermediate clinical outcomes, and quality of life for pharmacy users. Such interventions are likely to be cost-effective and the effects are seen across a range of clinical conditions and health-related behaviours. Nevertheless the magnitude of the effects varies between conditions, and more effective interventions might be developed if greater consideration were given to the theoretical basis of the intervention and mechanisms for effecting behaviour change.

Improving type 2 diabetes mellitus glycaemic control through lifestyle modification implementing diet intervention: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Type 2 diabetes mellitus represents a significant health problem. Many studies have reported that intensive nutritional intervention by itself or in addition to medications is the best method to improve glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, in clinical practice, dietary education is not implemented as an integral part in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to analyse the scientific evidence concerning the role of nutritional intervention in the glycaemic control of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases from inception till May 2019 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that include dietary interventions in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

RESULTS

A total of 28 studies were included. Our results demonstrated that lifestyle interventions significantly lowered glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA_1c) levels compared to the usual care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, overall weighted mean difference, WMD = - 0.51 (- 0.67, - 0.35). Strategies combining individualized and group-based activities were the most effective, WMD = - 0.95 (- 1.24, - 0.66). Most of stratified analyses did not totally resolve heterogeneity, but improvement in HbA_1c levels has been consistently observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The available evidence from RCTs shows that lifestyle intervention is more effective than the standard care regarding the glycaemic control of type 2 diabetic patients, particularly when there is a weight loss. It is time to translate this evidence to the primary health care practice. The protocol of the present systematic review was registered in PROSPERO, registration number CRD42018090469.

Systematic review to inform the development of a community pharmacy-based intervention for people affected by dementia

OBJECTIVES

People living with dementia (PWD) frequently receive medicine regularly from their community pharmacy, thus providing an opportunity to address either directly or through a carer any unmet medicine-related needs. The aim of this systematic review was to identify, describe, and evaluate the quality of the research for dementia-specific pharmacy-based interventions with potential for delivery through community pharmacy. This would inform the design of future services and associated trials.

KEY FINDINGS

The systematic review process identified 29 studies. Interventions were categorised as medication review, targeted medicine intervention, education, memory screening and miscellaneous. Five studies were set in community pharmacy. Interventions frequently targeted antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and anticholinergic medication. Twenty interventions were medicine-related. Eighteen studies were categorised as 'very low' quality, often due to small sample size.

SUMMARY

The review identified a range of interventions, which could be delivered through community pharmacy, and potentially benefit PWD. Developing appropriate and efficient training and working in multi-disciplinary teams were identified as necessary for effectiveness. Further research is needed to identify which service elements are likely to be acceptable to both patients and practitioners as well as the barriers and enablers to their implementation.

Cost Effectiveness of Advanced Pharmacy Services Provided in the Community and Primary Care Settings: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Pharmacists working in community and primary care are increasingly developing advanced skills to provide enhanced services, particularly in dealing with minor acute illness. These services can potentially free-up primary care physicians' time; however, it is not clear whether they are sufficiently cost effective to be recommended for wider provision in the UK.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to review published economic evaluations of enhanced pharmacy services in the community and primary care settings.

METHODS

We undertook a systematic review of economic evaluations of enhanced pharmacy services to inform NICE guidelines for emergency and acute care. The review protocol was developed and agreed with the guideline committee. The National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database, Health Technology Assessment Database, Health Economic Evaluations Database, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched in December 2016 and the search was updated in March 2018. Studies were assessed for applicability and methodological quality using the NICE Economic Evaluation Checklist.

RESULTS

Of 3124 records, 13 studies published in 14 papers were included. The studies were conducted in the UK, Spain, The Netherlands, Australia, Italy and Canada. Settings included community pharmacies, primary care/general practice surgeries and patients' homes. Most of the studies were assessed as partially applicable with potentially serious limitations. Services provided in community and primary care settings were found to be either dominant or cost effective, at a £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year threshold, compared with usual care. Those delivered in the patient's home were not found to be cost effective.

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced pharmacy services appear to be cost effective when delivered in community and primary care settings, but not in domiciliary settings. Expansion in the provision of these services in community and primary care can be recommended for wider implementation.

Clinical outcomes of community pharmacy services: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Community pharmacy services (CPS) have been shown to be positive in many disease management and patient care programs, but clinical outcomes were followed by process indicators and methodological flaws in previous researches made it difficult to prove the effectiveness of clinical outcomes of CPS. Therefore, this study attempted to review the clinical outcomes of CPS. Interventions included are provision of medication review, patient education, adherence assessment, health/lifestyle advice, physical assessment, monitoring, prescribing, or adjusting and administering therapy from community pharmacists. By searching for key words like community pharmacists, pharmaceutical services, clinical outcomes in MEDLINE and EMBASE and manually searching (up to June 2017), 1910 studies investigating the clinical outcomes of CPS were obtained. After screening the titles, abstracts and full texts for relevancy, 52 researches with controlled groups were included and assessed for methodological quality. Finally, 25 studies were selected for the meta-analysis based on their common endpoints: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and glycosylated haemoglobin. The Cochrane tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Chi-square and I-square tests were performed to assess heterogeneity, and the weighted mean differences were estimated using random effect models. Of the 52 articles, 47 studies demonstrated that CPS had positive clinical outcomes, 3 studies showed mixed outcomes and 2 studies revealed no effects. In the meta-analysis, intervention groups displayed greater reductions in systolic BP (95% CI: -8.198-2.356), diastolic BP (95% CI: -3.648-0.645) and HbA1c (95% CI: -0.905-0.224) than usual care groups. CPS have positive clinical outcomes, particularly significant reductions in systolic BP, diastolic BP and HbA1c. It was difficult to find out which intervention(s) of CPS directly led to certain changes and influence of CPS might be underestimated for only three common surrogate endpoints. More researches should be conducted with sufficient data.

Impact of the 2016 Policy Change on the Delivery of MedsCheck Services in Ontario: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis

MedsCheck (MC) is an annual medication review service delivered by community pharmacists and funded by the government of Ontario since 2007 for residents taking three or more medications for chronic conditions. In 2010, MC was expanded to include patients with diabetes (MCD), home-bound patients (MCH), and residents of long-term care homes (MCLTC). The Ontario government introduced an abrupt policy change effective 1 October 2016 that added several components to all MC services, especially those completed in the community. We used an interrupted time series design to examine the impact of the policy change (24 months pre- and post-intervention) on the monthly number of MedsCheck services delivered. Immediate declines in all services were identified, especially in the community (47%–64% drop MC, 71%–83% drop MCD, 55% drop MCH, and 9%–14% drop MCLTC). Gradual increases were seen over 24 months post-policy change, yet remained 21%–76% lower than predicted for MedsCheck services delivered in the community, especially for MCD. In contrast, MCLTC services were similar or exceeded predicted values by September 2018 (from 5.1% decrease to 3.5% increase). A more effective implementation of health policy changes is needed to ensure the feasibility and sustainability of professional community pharmacy services.

Impact of pharmaceutical care on mental well-being and perceived health among community-dwelling individuals with type 2 diabetes

PURPOSE

Mental well-being among community-dwelling individuals with type 2 diabetes has not been well established. The primary objective was to evaluate the change in the mental well-being of individuals with diabetes. The secondary objective was to evaluate the association between changes in mental well-being and perceived health over 6 months, and any interacting factors in this association.

METHODS

This was a prospective, multicenter study. Community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 21 years with type 2 diabetes were invited to meet with community pharmacists monthly for 6 months. Individuals who were unable to converse independently were excluded. A 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), measuring mental well-being was administered at baseline, and after 3 and 6 months. Perception of health was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) of the EuroQoL 5-Dimension tool. Linear mixed model was used to analyze the change in mean GHQ and VAS scores. Association between the changes in GHQ and VAS scores was determined, and moderation analysis was conducted to elucidate the interacting variables of this association.

RESULTS

Ninety-six individuals (82.4%) were included for analysis. The mean age was 60.3 years with a baseline mean HbA1c of 7.6%. A mean GHQ score reduction of 1.36 (p = 0.022) was observed. This reduction of mean GHQ score was associated with the change in mean VAS score. Having a duration of diabetes diagnosis of < 3.2 years was identified as moderator of this association.

CONCLUSION

Effective integrated pharmaceutical care with individualized counseling on lifestyle management appeared to improve the mental health of community-dwelling individuals with diabetes on top of glycemic control.

A randomized control trial of primary care-based management of type 2 diabetes by a pharmacist in Pakistan

Background

The role of a pharmacist in primary health care settings of Pakistan is still obscure. Thus, we aimed to demonstrate the pharmacist-led improvements in glycemic, blood pressure and lipid controls in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients of Lahore, Pakistan.

Methods

The first open label, randomized control trial conducted at a primary health care facility of Lahore, Pakistan by enrolling 244 uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (hemoglobin A1 c, (HbA1c); 10.85 ± 1.74) patients. The pharmacological intervention included identification of drug related problems, drug interactions, change in dose, frequency and therapy switches in collaboration with physician, while non-pharmacological intervention consisted of diet, lifestyle and behavior counseling. Outcome measures were glycemic (HbA1c), blood pressure and lipid controls.

Results

In intra-group comparison, compared to control arm (C, n = 52), subjects in the intervention arm (I, n = 83) demonstrated significant differences in process outcome measures; baseline vs final, such as HbA1c (C; 10.3 ± 1.3 vs 9.7 ± 1.3, p <  0.001, I; 10.9 ± 1.7 vs 7.7 ± 0.9, p <  0.0001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (C; 129.9 ± 13.9 vs 136 ± 7.1, p = 0.0001, I; 145 ± 20.4 vs 123.9 ± 9.9 mmHg, p <  0.0001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (C; + 4, p = 0.03, I; − 7 mmHg, p <  0.0001), cholesterol (C; 235.8 ± 57.7 vs 220.9 ± 53.2, p = 0.15, I; 224 ± 55.2 vs 153 ± 25.9 mg/dL, p < 0.0001), triglycerides (C; 213.2 ± 86.6 vs 172.4 ± 48.7, p = 0.001, I; 273 ± 119.4 vs 143 ± 31.6 mg/dL, p < 0.0001) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (C; 77.5 ± 18.6 vs 76 ± 14.2, p = 0.5, I; 69.4 ± 21.3 vs 93.8 ± 15.2 ml/min/1.73m², p < 0.0001). Likewise, inter-group improvements were more significant in the subjects of intervention group at final follow up in comparison to control for various process outcome measures; HbA1c (p < 0.001), SBP (p < 0.0001), DBP (p = 0.02), cholesterol (p < 0.0001), triglycerides (p < 0.0001), SCr (p < 0.001), eGFR (p < 0.001). Moreover, both male and female subjects exhibited similar responses towards intervention with similar improvements in outcome measures.

Conclusion

These data suggested that pharmacist intervention in collaboration with physician in primary health care settings may result in significant improvements in glycemic, blood pressure and lipid controls in Pakistani population.

Trial registration

The trial was registered retrospectively with International Standard Registered Clinical/soCial sTudy Number (ISRCTN) registry on July 26, 2017 under nutritional, metabolic, endocrine category with assigned registration # ISRCTN22657497 and can be assessed at 10.1186/ISRCTN22657497

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4274-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Multidisciplinary collaborative care in the management of patients with uncontrolled diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Diabetes is a chronic and complex disease that requires a multidisciplinary collaborative care approach.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with uncontrolled diabetes within a multidisciplinary collaborative care model. The secondary objective was to evaluate the humanistic and economic outcomes of this model of care.

METHODS

A search using PubMed, SCOPUS, and CINAHL from 2007 to 2017 was conducted. Articles selected included randomised controlled studies on multidisciplinary collaborative care (defined as care provision by ≥ two different care providers) vs usual care (defined as standard care provided solely by physicians) for patients with uncontrolled diabetes. In addition, the eligible article had to report at least two of the three outcomes such as clinical (glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c], systolic blood pressure [SBP], low-density lipoprotein [LDL], and triglyceride [TG]), humanistic (patient-reported measures), and economic (healthcare costs and utilisations) outcomes. Parameters examined included study characteristics, care interventions, patient characteristics, and study outcomes. Primary outcomes using mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analysed either by fixed- or random-effects models.

RESULTS

A total of 16 studies were included in the review. Multidisciplinary collaborative care significantly improved HbA1c (MD = -0.55%, 95% CI = -0.65% to -0.45%, P < 0.001, I²  = 35%) and SBP (MD = -4.89 mm Hg, 95% CI = -6.64 to -3.13 mm Hg, P < 0.001, I²  = 46%) over 3-12 months. The humanistic outcomes in the multidisciplinary collaborative care model were either improved or maintained over time. In comparison to usual care, the healthcare costs and utilisations in the multidisciplinary collaborative care model were comparable without incurring excessive costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Multidisciplinary collaborative care appeared to positively impact on the clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes of patients with uncontrolled diabetes.

Glycemic control through pharmaceutical care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objectives

To evaluate the effect of pharmaceutical care (PC) on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

A systematic search of literature was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. RCTs published in English between January 2011 and November 2015 were identified using nine electronic databases: MEDLINE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), EMBASE, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Springer Link, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if they outlined a pharmaceutical care intervention conducted by pharmacists alone or in collaboration with other health care professional(s). The studies were identified and data was extracted independently by two reviewers. The meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan version 5.3. A random-effects model was used to calculate the standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) levels.

Key findings

Thirteen RCTs outlining PC interventions in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (n = 1828) were included. The interventions included care plan development, medication reviews, patient education and counselling of patients with follow-up. All RCTs reported statistically significant reductions in HbA1c in the intervention group (SMD = −0.97; 95% CI −1.21 to −0.73; P = 0.00001) as compared to the control group. Significant heterogeneity in SMD (χ2 = 68.96) was observed.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that PC interventions are effective (at least in short-term follow-up in hospital setting) in reducing HbA1c levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Pharmacists, working alone or in collaboration with other health professionals have significant impact on improving the health status of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Participation in an innovative patient support program reduces prescription abandonment for adalimumab-treated patients in a commercial population

PURPOSE

Nonadherence to indicated therapy reduces treatment effectiveness and may increase cost of care. HUMIRA Complete, a Patient Support Program (PSP), aims to reduce nonadherence in patients prescribed adalimumab (ADA). The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between participation in the PSP and prescription abandonment rates among ADA-treated patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This longitudinal study using patient-level data from AbbVie's PSP linked with medical and pharmacy claims data included patients ≥18 years with an ADA-approved indication, ≥1 pharmacy claim for ADA, and available data ≥3 months before and ≥6 months after the index date (defined as the initial ADA claim [01/2015 to 02/2017]). Abandonment was defined as reversal of initial ADA prescription with no paid claim during 3-month follow-up. Abandonment rates were compared between PSP and non-PSP cohorts using multivariable logistic regression controlling for potentially confounding baseline characteristics.

RESULTS

In 17,371 patients (9,851 PSP; 7,520 non-PSP), the overall abandonment rate was 10.8-16.8% across indications. The odds of ADA abandonment were 70% less for PSP vs non-PSP patients (5.6% vs 20.4%, odds ratio [OR]=0.30, [95% confidence interval (CI)=0.27-0.33] P<0.001), 38% less for patients using specialty vs retail pharmacy (OR=0.62, 95% CI=0.56-0.69, P<0.001), 20% less for those with income of $50-99K vs $0-49K (OR=0.80, 95% CI=0.69-0.92, P<0.01), and 78% greater for those with copayment of $26-100 vs $0-25 (OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.55-2.05, P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Participation in the PSP, higher income, and using a specialty pharmacy were associated with lower odds of abandoning ADA therapy, whereas increased copayments were associated with greater abandonment. PSPs should be considered to improve initiation of ADA therapy.

A Review of Pharmacist-led Interventions on Diabetes Outcomes: An Observational Analysis to Explore Diabetes Care Opportunities for Pharmacists

A strict and adherence treatment is required by the patient with diabetes mellitus and it demands a proper self-medication by the patient. Pharmacists are involved in providing self-management support to the patients. This review evaluates the interventions of pharmacist for patients to improve self-management with diabetes mellitus and also to improve the clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus. A comprehensive literature search was performed by using different keywords "pharmacist-led intervention," "diabetes," "effect of pharmacist on outcome of diabetes," and "self-management of diabetes" with the help of various electronic databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from the beginning of the database through September 2018. The primary outcome was glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), whereas the secondary outcomes were blood glucose level, blood pressure (BP) measure, body mass index, lipids, adherence to medication, and quality of life. Twenty-five studies comprising 2997 diabetic patients were included in the analysis. Pharmacist-led intervention was involved in all included studies in the form of education on diabetes and its complications, medication adherence, lifestyle, and education about self-management skills. Pharmacist-led interventions are able to reduce HbA1c levels with a mean of 0.75%. Most studies do not expose the material and methods used in pharmacist-led intervention. The variation in the reduction of HbA1c, fasting blood sugar, BP, and lipid profile was due to the lack of this standardization. The included studies indicated that pharmacist-led interventions in diabetes mellitus can significantly improve the outcomes of diabetes mellitus and its complication later on. Hence, these long-term improvements in outcomes added more value of pharmacists in health-care system of the world.

Structured tool to improve clinical outcomes of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Reviewing pharmacist diabetes intervention studies revealed a lack of structured process in providing diabetes care, leading to varied results from increased to minimal improvements. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Simpler tool, a structured clinical guidelines tool, in the delivery of diabetes care. The primary outcome was significant improvement in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes were improved lipid profiles and blood pressure (BP).

METHODS

A 6-month parallel multicenter two-arm, single-blind randomized controlled trial involving 14 pharmacists at seven primary care clinics was conducted in Johor, Malaysia. Pharmacists without prior specialized diabetes training were trained to use the tool. Patients were randomized within each center to either Simpler care (SC), receiving care from pharmacists who used the tool (n =55), or usual care (UC), receiving usual care and dispensing services (n = 69).

RESULTS

Compared with UC, SC significantly reduced HbA1c (mean reduction 1.59% [95% confidence interval {CI} -2.2, -0.9] vs 0.25% [95% CI -0.62, 0.11], respectively; P ≤ 0.001), and significantly improved systolic BP (-6.28 mmHg [95% CI -10.5, 2.0] vs 0.26 mmHg [95% CI -3.74, 0.43], respectively; P = 0.005). A significantly higher proportion of patients in the SC than UC arm reached the Malaysian guideline treatment goals for HbA1c (14.3% vs 1.5%; P = 0.020), systolic BP (80% vs 42%; P = 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (60.5% vs 40.4%; P = 0.046).

CONCLUSIONS

Using the Simpler tool facilitated the delivery of comprehensive evidence-based diabetes management and significantly improved clinical outcomes. The Simpler tool supported pharmacists in providing enhanced structured diabetes care.

Effect of pharmaceutical care interventions on glycemic control in patients with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Diabetes is a chronic lifelong condition, and adherence to medications and self-monitoring of blood glucose are challenging for diabetic patients. The dramatic increase in the prevalence of diabetes is largely due to the incidence of type 2 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIc) besides high-income countries (HIc). We aimed to evaluate whether pharmacist care (PC) service model in LMIc and HIc could improve clinical outcomes in diabetic patients by performing a meta-analysis.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and ProQuest Dissertations Unlimited Published Literature database were searched to find publications pertaining to pharmacist-led intervention in patients with diabetes. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) randomized controlled trials, 2) confirmed diabetic patients (type 1 or type 2), 3) pharmaceutical care intervention by clinical pharmacist or/and multidisciplinary team, and 4) reporting HbA1c at baseline and end of study or the mean change in these values.

Results

A total of 37 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The overall result was significant and in favor of PC intervention on HbA1c change (standard difference in mean values [SDM]: 0.379, 95% CI: 0.208–0.550, P<0.001). The stratified meta-analysis showed that PC was significant in both HIc (n=20; SDM: 0.351, 95% CI: 0.207–0.495) and LMIc (n=15; SDM: 0.426, 95% CI: 0.071–0.780). More than 6 months is needed to obtain adequate effects on clinical diabetes parameters.

Conclusion

Our study presented that an adequate duration of pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care was effective in improving HbA1c in patients with diabetes in both LMIc and HIc.

The role of network ties to support implementation of a community pharmacy enhanced services network

BACKGROUND

Limited evidence exists on how to integrate community pharmacists into team-based care models, as the inclusion of community pharmacy services into alternative payment models is relatively new. To be successful in team-based care models, community pharmacies need to successfully build relationship with diverse stakeholders including providers, care managers, and patients.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study are to: (1) identify the role of network ties to support implementation of a community pharmacy enhanced services network, (2) describe how these network ties are formed and maintained, and (3) compare the role of network ties among high- and low-performing community pharmacies participating in an enhanced services network.

METHODS

Using a semi-structured interview guide, we interviewed 40 community pharmacy representatives responsible for implementation of a community pharmacy enhanced services program. We analyzed for themes using social network theory to compare network ties among 24 high- and 16 low-performing community pharmacies.

RESULTS

The study found that high-performing pharmacies had a greater diversity of network ties (e.g., relationships with healthcare providers, care managers, and public health agencies). High-performing pharmacies were able to use those ties to support implementation of NC-CPESN. High- and low-performing pharmacies used similar strategies for establishing ties with patients, such as motivational interviewing and assigning staff members to be responsible for engaging high-risk patients. High-performing pharmacies used additional strategies such as assessing patient preferences to support patient engagement, increasing patient receptivity towards enhanced services.

CONCLUSIONS

Community pharmacies may vary in their ability to develop relationships with other healthcare providers, care management and public agencies, and patients. As enhanced services interventions that require care coordination are scaled up and spread, additional research is needed to test implementation strategies that support community pharmacies with developing and maintaining relationships across a diverse group of stakeholders (e.g., healthcare providers, care managers, public health agencies, patients).

Pharmacist services for non-hospitalised patients

BACKGROUND

This review focuses on non-dispensing services from pharmacists, i.e. pharmacists in community, primary or ambulatory-care settings, to non-hospitalised patients, and is an update of a previously-published Cochrane Review.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect of pharmacists' non-dispensing services on non-hospitalised patient outcomes.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, two other databases and two trial registers in March 2015, together with reference checking and contact with study authors to identify additional studies. We included non-English language publications. We ran top-up searches in January 2018 and have added potentially eligible studies to 'Studies awaiting classification'.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised trials of pharmacist services compared with the delivery of usual care or equivalent/similar services with the same objective delivered by other health professionals.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard methodological procedures of Cochrane and the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group. Two review authors independently checked studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed risks of bias. We evaluated the overall certainty of evidence using GRADE.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 116 trials comprising 111 trials (39,729 participants) comparing pharmacist interventions with usual care and five trials (2122 participants) comparing pharmacist services with services from other healthcare professionals. Of the 116 trials, 76 were included in meta-analyses. The 40 remaining trials were not included in the meta-analyses because they each reported unique outcome measures which could not be combined. Most trials targeted chronic conditions and were conducted in a range of settings, mostly community pharmacies and hospital outpatient clinics, and were mainly but not exclusively conducted in high-income countries. Most trials had a low risk of reporting bias and about 25%-30% were at high risk of bias for performance, detection, and attrition. Selection bias was unclear for about half of the included studies.Compared with usual care, we are uncertain whether pharmacist services reduce the percentage of patients outside the glycated haemoglobin target range (5 trials, N = 558, odds ratio (OR) 0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 2.22; very low-certainty evidence). Pharmacist services may reduce the percentage of patients whose blood pressure is outside the target range (18 trials, N = 4107, OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.55; low-certainty evidence) and probably lead to little or no difference in hospital attendance or admissions (14 trials, N = 3631, OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.11; moderate-certainty evidence). Pharmacist services may make little or no difference to adverse drug effects (3 trials, N = 590, OR 1.65, 95% CI 0.84 to 3.24) and may slightly improve physical functioning (7 trials, N = 1329, mean difference (MD) 5.84, 95% CI 1.21 to 10.48; low-certainty evidence). Pharmacist services may make little or no difference to mortality (9 trials, N = 1980, OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.12, low-certaintly evidence).Of the five studies that compared services delivered by pharmacists with other health professionals, no studies evaluated the impact of the intervention on the percentage of patients outside blood pressure or glycated haemoglobin target range, hospital attendance and admission, adverse drug effects, or physical functioning.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that pharmacist services have varying effects on patient outcomes compared with usual care. We found no studies comparing services delivered by pharmacists with other healthcare professionals that evaluated the impact of the intervention on the six main outcome measures. The results need to be interpreted cautiously because there was major heterogeneity in study populations, types of interventions delivered and reported outcomes.There was considerable heterogeneity within many of the meta-analyses, as well as considerable variation in the risks of bias.

Effects of Pharmacy-Based Interventions on the Control and Management of Diabetes in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of pharmacy-based interventions on clinical outcomes associated with diabetes-related complications as well as on nonclinical outcomes in people with diabetes.

METHODS

We searched 4 main databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) for studies that considered clinical and nonclinical outcomes of pharmacy-based interventions among people with diabetes. Clinical outcomes included patients' mean reductions of glycated hemoglobin (A1C) levels and body mass indexes (BMIs). Nonclinical outcomes included patients' healthcare utilization and quality of life. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled net mean difference in clinical outcomes between the pharmacy-intervention and the control groups.

RESULTS

Of the 44 studies included in the systematic review, 32 studies reported results from randomized controlled trials measuring reductions of A1C levels in 4,132 patients. Meta-analysis revealed that the standardized absolute mean difference in reduction of A1C levels from baseline to the time of the last follow up significantly favoured the pharmacy intervention versus the control group (0.96%; 95% CI 0.71 to 1.22; p<0.001). Of the studies, 13 reported BMI kg/m² in 1,827 patients. The estimation of standardized absolute mean difference in reduction of BMI unit calculated through meta-analysis was 0.61 (95% CI 0.20 to 1.03; p=0.000) in favour of the pharmacy-intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharmacy-based interventions have significant positive effects on controlling 2 major risks factors associated with diabetes-related complications: A1C levels and BMI. However, there is a dearth of evidence about the effects of pharmacy-based intervention on nonclinical outcomes, including healthcare utilization and quality of life.

Efficacy of Pharmacist Based Diabetes Educational Interventions on Clinical Outcomes of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Network Meta-Analysis

Background: Comparative efficacy of different pharmacist based interventions on glycemic control of type 2 diabetes patients is unclear. This review aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of different pharmacist based interventions on clinical outcomes of type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across five databases from date of database inception to September 2017. All randomized clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of pharmacist based interventions on type 2 diabetes patients were included for network meta-analysis (NMA). The protocol is available with PROSPERO (CRD42017078854). Results: A total of 43 studies, involving 6259 type 2 diabetes patients, were included. NMA demonstrated that all interventions significantly lowered glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels compared to usual care, but there was no statistical evidence from this study that one intervention was significantly better than the other for reducing HbA1c levels. Pharmacist based diabetes education plus pharmaceutical care showed maximum efficacy for reducing HbA1c levels [-0.86, 95% CI -0.983, -0.727; p < 0.001]. Pharmacist based diabetes education plus pharmaceutical care was observed to be statistically significant in lowering levels of systolic blood pressure [-4.94; 95%CI -8.65, -1.23] and triglycerides levels [-0.26, 95%CI -0.51, -0.01], as compared to the interventions which involved diabetes education by pharmacist, and for body mass index (BMI) [-0.57; 95%CI -1.25, -0.12] in comparison to diabetes education by health care team involving pharmacist as member. Conclusion: The findings of this review demonstrate that all interventions had a significantly positive effect on HbA1c, but there was no statistical evidence from this study that one intervention was significantly better than the other for achieving glycemic control.Pharmacist based diabetes education plus pharmaceutical care showed maximum efficacy on HbA1c and rest of the clinical outcomes.

A randomized controlled study to evaluate the effect of pharmacist-led educational intervention on glycemic control, self-care activities and disease knowledge among type 2 diabetes patients: A consort compliant study protocol

BACKGROUND

Diabetes self-care activities, like, healthy diet, regular exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose, and rational use of medicines are considered to play a vital role in establishing euglycemia. Health literacy among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Pakistan is very low, which is the most likely cause for poor clinical outcomes. This study is designed to investigate the impact of pharmacist-led educational intervention on glycemic control, self-care activities and disease knowledge among T2DM patients in Pakistan.

METHODS

In this randomized controlled trail, effectiveness of a 6-month pharmacist-led educational intervention will be examined on glycemic control, diabetes self-care activities and disease knowledge of 80 adult T2DM patients (age >30 years) with poorly controlled T2DM (HbA1c> 7%), after randomizing them into intervention and control groups, at diabetes care clinic of Capital Hospital Islamabad, Pakistan.

RESULTS

The primary outcome is change in patients' HbA1c, whereas, changes in self-care activities and patients' disease knowledge are the secondary outcomes. After baseline assessment of their self-care activities and disease knowledge by using validated Urdu versions of Diabetes Self-management Questionnaire (DSMQ) and Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ), respectively, interventional group patients will be supplemented with a face-to-face pharmacist-led educational intervention, whereas, the control group will receive usual care. Intervention arm patients will be educated successively at their first follow-up visit (12th week) and telephonically after every 4 weeks. All assessments will be made at baseline and end of trail for both intervention and control groups. Multivariate general linear model will be applied to analyze the effects of the intervention.

CONCLUSION

Glycemic control in T2DM patients requires optimum self-care activities. This study is an attempt to improve self-care behaviors among poorly controlled T2DM patients who are at higher risk of diabetes-associated late complications.

Comparative analysis of diabetes self-management education programs in the European Union Member States

Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is generally considered as an integral part of diabetes care. The availability of different types of self-management in the European Union Member States (EUMS) remains uncertain. The aim of this study is to perform a comparative analysis of existing DSME programs (DSMEP) implemented in EUMS. Unpublished data regarding DSME in the EUMS was assessed with Diabetes Literacy Survey using wiki tool (WT) targeting patients and different stakeholders. An additional literature review (LR) was performed in PubMed to identify published studies regarding DSMEP in the EUMS from 2004 to 2014. A total of 102 DSMEP implemented in EUMS were reported in the WT and 154 programs were identified from the LR. Comparative analysis of the data indicated that a majority of programs are aimed at adults and only a minority at children and elderly. Only a small percentage of the programs utilize information technology for teaching and learning, and only one out of five programs pay attention to depression. The identified DSMEP aimed primarily to empower patients through increasing knowledge and changing attitudes and beliefs towards diabetes. This study provides an overview of the present state-of-the-art on diabetes self-management education programs in the 28 EUMS. To increase participation, existing DSMEP should be made more accessible to the patients as well as tailored to specific patient groups.

Evaluating the potential for pharmacists to prescribe oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation

Background

Oral anticoagulant therapy (OAC) to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF)-related strokes remains poorly used. Alternate strategies, such as community pharmacist prescribing of OAC, should be explored.

Methods

Approximately 400 pharmacists, half with additional prescribing authority (APA), randomly selected from the Alberta College of Pharmacists, were invited to participate in an online survey over a 6-week period. The survey consisted of demographics, case scenarios assessing appropriateness of OAC (based on the 2014 Canadian Cardiovascular Society AF guidelines) and perceived barriers to prescribing. Regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of knowledge.

Results

A total of 35% (139/397) of pharmacists responded to the survey, and 57% of these had APA. Depending on the case scenario, 55% to 92% of pharmacists correctly identified patients eligible for stroke prevention therapy, but only about a half selected the appropriate antithrombotic agent; there was no difference in the knowledge according to APA status. In multivariable analysis, predictors significantly associated with guideline-concordant prescribing were having the pharmacist interact as part of an interprofessional team (p = 0.04) and direct OAC (DOAC) self-efficacy (confidence in ability to extend, adapt, initiate or alter prescriptions; p = 0.02). Barriers to prescribing OAC for APA pharmacists included a lack of AF and DOAC knowledge and preference for consulting the physician first, but these same pharmacists also identified difficulty in contacting the physician as a major barrier.

Interpretation and Conclusion

Community pharmacists can identify patients who would benefit from stroke prevention therapy in AF. However, physician collaboration and further training on AF and guidelines for prescribing OAC are needed.

Effective Interventions for Diabetes Patients by Community Pharmacists: A Meta-analysis of Pharmaceutical Care Components

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included interventions provided by community pharmacists for patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes, the analysis of each component of the intervention(s), and the description of the training that the pharmacists received.

DATA SOURCES

The literature research was conducted in PubMed and in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (January 2000 to April 2016) for RCTs with interventions provided by community pharmacists for patients with diabetes. Corresponding authors were contacted about missing data and intervention and training design.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

RCTs published in English or German were included if pharmaceutical care or medication therapy management was conducted by community pharmacists with diabetes patients. Basic information, intervention and training design data were extracted.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The literature research resulted in 11 eligible studies for further analysis. The corresponding authors of 6 studies responded to our request and sent their raw data. The calculated meta-analytical effect of 640 analyzed patients was a hemoglobin A_1C (A1C) difference of -0.66%, with a 95% CI of -0.86% to -0.45%. The analysis revealed that most intervention elements had a significant positive meta-analytical effect on the A1C values.

CONCLUSIONS

Our meta-analysis suggests that community pharmacist-led interventions can improve glycemic control in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. The most effective intervention components were patient centered and interdisciplinary. Pharmaceutical care interventions should, therefore, include the following components: sending feedback to the physician, setting individual goals, reviewing medication, and assessing patients' health beliefs and medication knowledge.

What role could community pharmacists in Malaysia play in diabetes self-management education and support? The views of individuals with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVES

This study explored the experiences and views of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) on their diabetes self-management and potential roles for community pharmacists in diabetes self-management education and support (DSME/S) in Malaysia.

METHODS

A qualitative study, using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, was conducted with patients with T2D attending a primary care health clinic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively.

KEY FINDINGS

Fourteen participants with T2D were interviewed. Data were coded into five main themes: experience and perception of diabetes self-management, constraints of the current healthcare system, perception of the community pharmacist and community pharmacies, perceived roles for community pharmacists in diabetes care, and challenges in utilising community pharmacies to provide DSME/S. There were misconceptions about diabetes management that may be attributed to a lack of knowledge. Although participants described potential roles for community pharmacists in education, medication review and continuity of care, these roles were mostly non-clinically oriented. Participants were not confident about community pharmacists making recommendations and changes to the prescribed treatment regimens. While participants recognised the advantages of convenience of a community pharmacy-based diabetes care service, they raised concerns over the retail nature and the community pharmacy environment for providing such services.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted the need to improve the care provision for people with T2D. Participants with T2D identified potential, but limited roles for community pharmacists in diabetes care. Participants expressed concerns that need to be addressed if effective diabetes care is to be provided from community pharmacies in Malaysia.