Evaluation of pharmacy-led weight management service to minimise the risk of cardiovascular disease

Pharmacists' involvement in physical activity promotion in community pharmacy: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Physical activity (PA) promotion in healthcare systems is one of the priority areas highlighted by the World Health Organization, which recognizes that progress has been slow largely due to a lack of awareness and investment while requiring a system-based approach. Community pharmacies are one of the health structures that are more easily accessible to populations, thus constituting an ideal venue for developing health promotion activities. This research aimed to describe PA-enabling interventions developed in community pharmacies by pharmacists.

METHODS

An electronic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane and reference lists of the different papers until June 2023. Studies were eligible if performed in community pharmacies by pharmacists, focused on interventions aimed at increasing PA levels and if at least one PA-specific outcome was measured at two different time points.

RESULTS

We identified 7076 publications in the initial search, plus 31 records identified through backward citation tracking from relevant studies. After an initial screening, 236 were selected for full-text analysis. Of the 29 selected papers, 10 presented a low risk of bias for the measurement of PA levels. PA outcomes were generally self-reported outcomes where the change in terms of the percentage of individuals considered active or who increased PA because of the intervention.

CONCLUSION

Several interventions to improve PA through community pharmacies were found although with a high level of heterogeneity and with only few with a low risk of bias. More targeted research that aims to capture PA levels and support the training of healthcare professionals is needed.

The Effect of Pharmacist-Led Telemedicine on A1c Reduction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Diabetes remains a prevalent metabolic chronic condition. The pandemic promoted the use of telemedicine for patients with chronic conditions. Telemedicine offers innovative methods to achieve glycemic control for these patients. This study evaluates the effectiveness of telemedicine with pharmacists in reduction of glycated hemoglobin (A1C) for patients with diabetes. Methods: This study (n = 112) was a single-center, retrospective study that evaluated the effectiveness of patients enrolling in pharmacist-led diabetes management utilizing telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with an A1C >9 mg/dL were contacted for telemedicine with the pharmacy team. The three groups included: patients agreeing to the telemedicine visit (n = 28), patients that declined the telemedicine visit (n = 42), and patients that did not answer the telephone when offered the telemedicine visit (n = 28). Results: Our study revealed a significant change in the primary endpoint A1C (2.6 + 2.4, p = 0.0144) for the patients who accepted telemedicine visits when compared with the other study groups. The secondary endpoints, changes in A1C (when evaluating employment status, number of clinic visits, number of chronic conditions, gender, race) and changes in body mass index, revealed no significant changes. Conclusion: Diabetes management using telemedicine with pharmacists impacts glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study demonstrates patients who accepted pharmacist-led telemedicine had a reduction in A1C. Further research may reveal long-term benefits on clinical outcomes after utilizing this service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Developing and evaluating training for pharmacists to offer a pharmacy-led public health service in primary care

Background

Currently in Greece, no formal organisation offers post-academic education to pharmacists. To improve the clinical practice of pharmacists, there is a need for training that will educate them on how to approach and consult their patients. The study aimed to evaluate the training required by pharmacists to offer a pharmacy-led weight management service in Greece.

Methods

The study consisted of 3 phases. During the first phase educational needs of the participating pharmacists were identified. A pre-training quiz was given consisting of 14 questions to investigate the participating pharmacists’ knowledge on guidance, causes and facts of obesity. The second phase comprised the training design and delivery. The final phase dealt with training evaluation (27 questions in total), which included the perceived rating of knowledge and confidence levels pre- and post-training, and a post-training quiz (the same as the pre-training quiz). The post-evaluation questionnaire and the quiz (pre- and post-training) results were entered into SPSS Version 23 for statistical analysis.

Results

The mean total quiz score was 6.38 (SD = 2.56) pre-training compared to 11.92 (SD = 1.20) post-training (P < 0.001). Nearly all community pharmacists, 96.2% (n = 25) stated that they had an excellent/good experience and 88.5% (n = 23) strongly agreed/agreed that their expectations were met.

Conclusions

Training delivered was well received and it enhanced participants’ knowledge on the topic. Limitations include the small number of participating pharmacists and investigation of short-term training effects only. Due to the positive outcomes of the training, however, it has the potential to become a model for Greek pharmacists to offer different pharmacy-led public health services.