Researchers have found that pharmacist-led interventions such as patient education, medication review, and medication management can be pivotal in preventing heart-related illnesses.
The study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, support the involvement of pharmacists as healthcare providers in managing patients with hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.
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During the finding, the research team assessed medical literature for relevant randomised controlled clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions delivered in the general practice in reducing the medical risk factors of cardiovascular events.
They identified 21 trials involving a total 8,933 patients.
Pharmacist-led interventions included patient education, medication review and counselling, physical assessment, assessing adherence, lifestyle modification, and medication management such as prescribing, adjusting, monitoring, and administering therapy and identifying drug-related problems.
The most frequently used pharmacist-led interventions were medication review and medication management.
Patients receiving pharmacist-led interventions experienced significant reductions in their systolic blood pressure (by an average of -9.33 mmHg); Hemoglobin A1c, a measure of blood sugar levels (by an average of -0.76%); and LDL-cholesterol (by an average of -15.19 mg/dl).
Pharmacist-led interventions also helped patients correctly follow their prescribed medication regimens.
"The significant reductions in blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood cholesterol reported in this meta-analysis, if sustained in clinical practice, could have significant implications for managing hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia that could prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality," Alshehri said.
Alshehri noted that the findings support a greater involvement of pharmacists in general practice.
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