Abstract
BackgroundIn most developing countries including Ghana, there is scant literature on the involvement of the community pharmacist in the care of patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension and blood pressure control. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of a pharmaceutical care model on blood pressure control and adherence among hypertensive patients.MethodsThis was a quasi experimental design and the primary outcome measure was a change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. One hundred and eighty hypertensive patients were recruited for the study: 90 in the intervention group and 90 in the control group. The intervention, consisting of health education, adherence counselling and medicine use review; was offered monthly for six months.ResultsAt baseline there was no significant difference in demographic and clinical characteristics between the intervention and control group. Pharmaceutical care issues identified among the intervention group during the 6 months period were non effectiveness of therapy (n = 23), experience of side effects (n = 20) and nonadherence to therapy (n = 40). The mean diastolic blood pressure difference between the intervention group and the control group was statistically significant (p = 0.001). The mean adherence difference between the two groups was also statistically significant at the end of the study. (p = 0.001).ConclusionsThe pharmaceutical care intervention offered by the pharmacist led to the resolution of some pharmaceutical care issues, improvement in diastolic blood pressure and adherence among hypertensive patients. Guidelines and polices to streamline these services are needed if they are to be made available in community pharmacies in developing countries.
Highlights
In most developing countries including Ghana, there is scant literature on the involvement of the community pharmacist in the care of patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension and blood pressure control
There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics of the two groups at baseline (Table 2)
Low dose aspirin is recommended for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients aged over 50 years with a baseline Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) risk level > 20% and whose blood pressure has been controlled to an audit standard of 150/90 [18]
Summary
In most developing countries including Ghana, there is scant literature on the involvement of the community pharmacist in the care of patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension and blood pressure control. Marfo and Owusu-Daaku Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice (2017) 10:39 accident and provide treatment for illness of common occurrence when consultation with a medical practitioner or dentist is not reasonably practicable [6]. It has, been observed that community pharmacies in most low income settings are often underutilized and the standard of care and services tend to be suboptimal [7]. Community pharmacists in Ghana do not normally follow up and monitor patients with chronic diseases as these often visit the pharmacies only for prescription refills
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