Promoting self-care and improving quality of life in cardiovascular disease patients: The role of pharmacist-led interventions in community pharmacies.

Abstract

Community pharmacists are underutilized in assisting patients with cardiovascular diseases within pharmacy settings. Monitoring and controlling cardiovascular risks could prevent deaths globally and save public health expenses. The aim of this study is to verify how self-care can impact the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular diseases. A quasi-experimental study lasting 12 months was designed, involving pharmacist intervention. The intervention provided to patients involved personalized guidance tailored to their activation level. This included recommendations for lifestyle changes aimed at improving their quality of life, as assessed using research tools. Key biochemical variables, such as cholesterol levels, cardiovascular risk scores, blood pressure, and patient activation, were measured alongside the patients' perceived quality of life. Activation level increased significantly after 12 months (from 2.81±1.02 to 3.25±0.78; p=0.09), and quality of life by 9.9 points out of 100 (p=0.02). In terms of total cholesterol levels, a decrease was observed between the beginning and the end of the study of 18.7mg/dL (p=0.04) and in diastolic pressure by 21.1mm Hg (p=0.02). In addition, there is a protective factor against cholesterol increase in those patients with a high activation level (PAM level above 3; RR=0.273; 95%CI=0.104-0.716), and with an improvement in quality of life (β=0.761; p=0.011); and a lower diastolic pressure when activation was higher (β=-0.351; p=0.025). Community pharmacists have an impact on improving self-care behaviors among patients with cardiovascular diseases. Community pharmacists, through their proactive involvement and tailored care approaches, are identified as key agents in chronic disease management, empowering patients towards healthier outcomes in the face of ongoing health challenges.