scholarly journals Impact of Pharmacist-Led Diabetes Management in Primary Care Clinics

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Benjamin Pontefract ◽  
Benjamin S. King ◽  
Cynthia A. King ◽  
David M Gothard

Purpose: Current literature supports that pharmacists effectively lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in diabetic patients. Little data exists on pharmacists’ effects on comorbidity management, patient satisfaction, or financial viability of these positions. This study looked to assess the impact of pharmacists on diabetes management compared to usual care. Methods: This multi-site, two-part study includes a retrospective chart review of patients referred to the pharmacist versus usual care within a large academic health system. The pharmacists collaborated under a consult agreement with primary care physicians. The second part of the study assessed patient satisfaction through an abbreviated CG-CAHPS survey. Results:A total of 206 patients with diabetes for an average of 12 years were included. The average patient age was 62 years with 60% of patients identifying as female and 81% as African-American. Patients were enrolled in a 2:1 fashion with 138 patients in the intervention group. Average baseline HbA1c was 10.1% in the intervention group and 9.3% in the control group (p= 0.0125). At 6 months, the mean change in HbA1c was -2.17% and 0.48% for the intervention and control groups respectively (p Conclusion: Pharmacists are effective at lowering HbA1c in primary care clinics, and patients were highly satisfied with these services. While direct revenue from this service did not meet cost, the pharmacist did positively affect outcomes that contribute to reimbursement. Treatment of Human Subjects: IRB review/approval required and obtained   Type: Original Research

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Milos Nymberg ◽  
Cecilia Lenander ◽  
Beata Borgström Bolmsjö

Abstract Background Drug-related problems among the elderly population are common and increasing. Multi-professional medication reviews (MR) have arisen as a method to optimize drug therapy for frail elderly patients. Research has not yet been able to show conclusive evidence of the effect of MRs on mortality or hospital admissions. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the impact of MRs’ on hospital admissions and mortality after six and 12 months in a frail population of 369 patients in primary care in a randomized controlled study. Methods Patients were blindly randomized to an intervention group (receiving MRs) and a control group (receiving usual care). Descriptive data on mortality and hospital admissions at six and 12 months were collected. Survival analysis was performed for time to death and time to the first hospital admission within 12 months. Results Of the total number of 369 included patients, 182 were randomized to the intervention group and 187 to the control group. Most of the patients (75%) were females and lived in nursing homes. At six months, 50 patients of the baseline population (27%) in the control group had been admitted to hospital at least once, compared to 40 patients (21%) in the intervention group. At 12 months, the percentage had increased to 70 (37%) in the control group compared to 53 (29%) in the intervention group. Compared to usual care, we found that MRs reduced the risk of hospital admissions within 12 months by 36% (HR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.45-0.90), but found no difference on mortality (HR = 1.12, 95% CI 0.78-1.61) between the groups. Conclusion We suggest that MRs should be recommended in the care of frail elderly patients with expected benefits on hospital admissions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Milos Nymberg ◽  
Cecilia Lenander ◽  
Beata Borgström Bolmsjö

Abstract Background Drug-related problems among the elderly population are common and increasing. Multi-professional medication reviews (MRs) have arisen as a method to optimize drug therapy for frail elderly patients. Research has not yet been able to show conclusive evidence of the effect of MRs on mortality or hospital admissions. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the impact of MRs’ on hospital admissions and mortality after six and 12 months in a frail population of 369 patients in primary care in a randomized controlled study. Methods Patients were blindly randomized to an intervention group (receiving MRs) and a control group (receiving usual care). Descriptive data on mortality and hospital admissions at six and 12 months were collected. Survival analysis was performed for time to death and time to the first hospital admission within 12 months. Results Of the total number of 369 included patients, 182 were randomized to the intervention group and 187 to the control group. Most of the patients (75%) were females and lived in nursing homes. At six months, 50 patients of the baseline population (27%) in the control group had been admitted to hospital at least once, compared to 40 patients (21%) in the intervention group. At 12 months, the percentage had increased to 70 (37%) in the control group compared to 53 (29%) in the intervention group. Compared to usual care, we found that MRs reduced the risk of hospital admissions within 12 months by 42% (HR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.37-0.92), but found no difference on mortality (HR = 1.12, 95% CI 0.78-1.61) between the groups. Conclusion We suggest that MRs should be recommended in the care of frail elderly patients with expected benefits on delayed hospital admissions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale F. Kraemer ◽  
Wayne A. Kradjan ◽  
Theresa M. Bianco ◽  
Judi A. Low

Objective: To assess the impact of pharmacist counseling on empowering people with diabetes to better self-care. Introduction: Community-based pharmacists can play a key role in educating and empowering people in such programs. Methods: A randomized trial compared the effects of pharmacist counseling (intervention group) with printed materials (control group) in diabetic beneficiaries of several employer-based health care plans. All participants also received waiver of out-of-pocket expenses for diabetic-related medications and supplies. Clinical, humanistic, and claim outcomes were evaluated at baseline and at 1 year follow-up. Results: Sixty-seven beneficiaries participated in this study. The 0.50% decrease from baseline in glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) was statistically significant ( P = .0008) in the intervention group and the difference between the groups approached statistical significance ( P = .076). Beneficiaries in both groups had greater claim costs for diabetic-related medications and supplies during the study year. Both groups also improved in ability to manage their diabetes with the counseling group showing a significantly better understanding of diabetes ( P = .0024). Conclusion: There was a trend toward improvement in A1c in patients counseled by pharmacist with an increased utilization of diabetes-related medications and supplies. Counseling also improved diabetes knowledge and empowered patients to better diabetes management.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
HyoRim Ju ◽  
EunKyo Kang ◽  
YoungIn Kim ◽  
HyunYoung Ko ◽  
Belong Cho

BACKGROUND As the global burden of chronic conditions increases, effective management for these are a concern. There is an increasing need for chronic condition management using mobile self-management healthcare applications. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile self-management healthcare application combined with human coaching for primary care services in patients with chronic conditions. METHODS A total of 110 patients with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and/or metabolic syndrome who visited one of 17 participating primary care clinics from September 2020 to November 2020 were included in this study. Data regarding changes in body weight, sleep conditions, quality of life, depression, anxiety, stress, body mass index, waist circumference, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and blood lipids levels were recorded. The intervention group (N=65) used a mobile self-management healthcare application with human coaching for 12 weeks, and the control group (N=45) underwent conventional, self-managed health care. RESULTS Patients in the intervention group reported significantly more weight loss than those in the control group (P=.002). The weight loss was markedly greater after using application for nine weeks than using it for four weeks or five to eight weeks (P=.002). Patients in the intervention group reported better sleep quality (P=.04) and duration (P=.004) than those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The combination of a mobile self-management healthcare application and human coaching in primary care clinics results in better management of chronic conditions. The observed weight loss was greater and sleep quality improved than conventional primary care for patients with at least one chronic condition.


Author(s):  
Linda Gordon ◽  
Amanda Malecky ◽  
Andrew Althouse ◽  
Nicole Ansani

Background: Data demonstrate an adverse association between depression and coronary artery disease prognosis. Therefore, a depression screening program was initiated in the catheterization (cath) lab. The goals were to improve HEDIS depression compliance rates and determine the impact on clinical outcomes. Methods: Adult patients in an inpatient cath lab from 3 cardiology practices were screened for enrollment in a randomized controlled trial. All cath lab patients received a PHQ-9 depression screener. Those who screened positive for depression (score ≥ 10) were randomized to intervention or usual care. The usual care group received a follow-up phone call to re-administer the PHQ-9 at 6-8 weeks and within 210 days of discharge. The intervention group was administered the PHQ-9 and received intensive education at baseline, 6-8 weeks, and within 210 days of discharge. Education included targeted depression information with a mental health care provider and comprehensive disease management education with a cardiovascular nurse practitioner. Outcomes included: differences in HEDIS depression goal attainment; depression response/remission rates; and cardiovascular goals. Differences between groups were tested using chi-squared tests (categorical variables) and t-tests (continuous variables). Results: Baseline characteristics were similar between control (N=43) and intervention (N=40) groups, with the exception of significantly fewer African American patients in the control group (N=2, 4.7%) vs intervention (N=9, 22.5%). Changes in HEDIS goal attainment show that patients in the intervention group were slightly more likely to be referred to a provider to address depression (95.0% vs 86.0%, p=0.314), or receive meds for depression (65.0% vs 51.2%, p=0.219), but these differences are not statistically significant. More patients in the intervention group refused meds for depression compared to control (15.0% vs. 2.3%, p=0.041); have received blood work (65.0% vs 41.9%, p=0.030); and have received follow-up within 210 days (82.5% vs 46.5%, p<0.001). Treatment adjustment rate was higher in the intervention group compared to control (85.0% vs. 65.1%, p=0.037). Hospital readmission rate was similar between groups (p=0.896) and there was no difference in depression remission or response rates (p=0.426). Further, no differences were seen in cardiovascular surrogate outcome parameters, including cholesterol, A1c, CRP, or BNP between groups; except SGOT was significantly different between groups (-5.0 intervention vs 2.0 control p=0.045). Conclusions: These data demonstrate improvements in attaining a surrogate outcome measure of quality (HEDIS goals); however, this does not appear to translate to a significant clinical impact. Quality measures may need to be continuously reassessed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S693-S693
Author(s):  
Okan I Akay ◽  
Rohini Dave ◽  
Amit Khosla ◽  
CherylAnn Kraska ◽  
Brian J Hopkins ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Inappropriate antibiotic use is a growing problem in the outpatient setting. Approximately 90% of all antibiotics are prescribed in outpatient practices. Nonetheless, 30–70% of antibiotic prescriptions (ARx) are unnecessary. Outpatient antimicrobial stewardship (AS) is much needed and the best approach is unknown. We used a bundle approach to outpatient AS during the winter months, by implementing a peer comparison (PC) report, upper respiratory infection (URI) order set and broad education. Methods This is a quasi-experimental project during the period October 2018 to March 2019 (FY19) to evaluate the impact of a bundled intervention in primary care clinics at the VA Maryland Health Care System. A historical control group from the same period the previous year (FY18) was used for comparison. The intervention included an AS directed didactic and URI order set followed by an email in 1/2019 with: (1) censored PC report (ARx/1,000 encounters) with outliers defined as above 1.5 × interquartile range, (2) URI order set reminder, and (3) education. The primary outcome was total ARx per 1,000 encounters in primary care clinics. A random sampling of 200 charts was done to compare proportion of antibiotic appropriateness and number of emergency department (ED) visits and adverse drug events (ADEs) in FY19 Q1 and FY19 Q2. Poisson regression was carried out, in addition to Χ2-statistic. Results There were 3,799 vs. 3,429 ARx in FY18 and FY19, respectively, with a rate difference of 3.3 ARx per 1,000 encounters (P = 0.0056). Q1 to Q2 ARx rate increased by 7.8 and 8.0 ARx per 1,000 encounters in FY18 and FY19, respectively. Forty-eight percent (28/58) of the providers confirmed receipt of email. There were 3 and 4 outliers in FY19 Q1 and Q2, respectively. Appropriate ARx for FY19 Q1 and Q2 was found to be 45% and 35% (P = 0.44), respectively. The most common indications were URI (18% vs. 18%), urinary tract infection (13% vs. 21%). ED visits (10% vs. 6%) were uncommon and there were no ADEs. Conclusion E-mail communication with bundled approach had no effect on ARx or antibiotic appropriateness; however general AS presence and URI order set tempered some use. Removing peer censoring, providing face-to-face education and intensifying antibiotic order sets are additional interventions to be implemented. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasha Al-Hamdan ◽  
Amanda Avery ◽  
Andrew Salter ◽  
Dara Al-Disi ◽  
Nasser M. Al-Daghri ◽  
...  

Few evaluations of interventions to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Saudi Arabia (SA) have been undertaken. The present study evaluates the impact of a 6-month intensive lifestyle modification intervention delivered in primary care. Females from SA with prediabetes, aged 18–55 years, were recruited with 190 participants eligible following screening and randomly allocated to receive a 3-month one-on-one, intensive lifestyle modification (intervention group (IG) n = 95) or standard guidance (control group (CG) n = 95). Participants completed questionnaires including demographic, dietary and physical activity data. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months. A total of 123 (74 IG (age 40.6 ± 9.8 years; body mass index (BMI) 31.2 ± 7.0 kg/m2) and 49 CG (age 40.6 ± 12.7 years; BMI 32.3 ± 5.4 kg/m2)) participants completed the study. After 6 months, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; primary endpoint) significantly improved in the IG than CG completers in between-group comparisons (p < 0.001). Comparison between groups showed significant improvements in overall energy intake, total and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol in favour of IG (p-values < 0.001, 0.04 and <0.001, respectively). BMI and weight change were not clinically significant in between group comparisons. A 6-month, intense one-on-one intervention in lifestyle modification significantly improves glycaemic and cardio metabolic profile of females living in SA with pre-diabetes delivered in a primary care setting. Longer duration studies, using the same intervention, may determine whether a meaningful weight loss secondary to improved diet can be achieved.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 1189-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Wu ◽  
Steven G Faux ◽  
John Estell ◽  
Stephen Wilson ◽  
Ian Harris ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate the impact of an in-reach rehabilitation team for patients admitted after road trauma. Design: Randomised control trial of usual care versus early involvement of in-reach rehabilitation team. Telephone follow-up was conducted by a blind assessor at three months for those with minor/moderate injuries and six months for serious/severe injuries. Setting: Four participating trauma services in New South Wales, Australia. Subjects: A total of 214 patients admitted during 2012-2015 with a length of stay of at least five days. Intervention: Provision of rehabilitation services in parallel with ward based therapy using an in-reach team for the intervention group. The control group could still access the ward based therapy (usual care). Main measures: The primary outcome was acute length of stay. Secondary outcomes included percentage requiring inpatient rehabilitation, function (Functional Independence Measure and Timed Up and Go Test), psychological status (Depression Anxiety and Stress Score 21), pain (Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire) and quality of life (Short Form-12 v2). Results: Median length of stay in acute care was 13 days (IQR 8-21). The intervention group, compared to the control group, received more physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions (median number of sessions 16.0 versus 11.5, P=0.003). However, acute length of stay did not differ between the intervention and control groups (median 15 vs 12 days, P=0.37). There were no significant differences observed in the secondary outcomes at hospital discharge and follow-up. Conclusion: No additional benefit was found from the routine use of acute rehabilitation teams for trauma patients over and above usual care.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricard Carrillo Muñoz ◽  
Jose Luis Ballve Moreno ◽  
Ivan Villar Balboa ◽  
Yolanda Rando Matos ◽  
Oriol Cunillera Puertolas ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (pc-BPPV) causes physical, functional, and emotional impairment. The treatment of choice is the Epley manoeuvre (EM). The purpose of the study was to compare the impact of the EM and a sham manoeuvre in primary care on self-perceived disability. Method: Randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial conducted in primary care with a follow-up of 1 year. Patients aged ≥18 years old diagnosed with pc-BPPV according to the Dix-Hallpike test (DHT) were randomised to an intervention (EM) group or a control (sham manoeuvre) group. The main study covariables were age, sex, history of depression and anxiety, presence of nystagmus in the DHT, patient-perceived disability assessed with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory-screening version (DHI-S). Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate mixed Tobit analyses. Results: Overall, 134 patients were studied: 66 in the intervention group and 68 in the control group. Median age was 52 years (interquartile range [IQR], 38.25–68.00 years) and 76.12% of the patients were women. The DHT triggered nystagmus in 40.30% of patients. The median total DHI-S score for the overall sample at baseline was 16 (IQR, 8.00–22.00); 16 [IQR, 10.5–24.0] vs 10 [6.0–14.0] for women vs men ( P <0.001) and 16 [IQR, 10.0-24.0] vs 12 [IQR, 8.0–18.0] for patients without nystagmus vs those with nystagmus ( P =0.033).Patients treated with the EM experienced a mean reduction of 2.03 points in DHI-S score over the follow-up period compared with patients in the sham group. Conclusion: Pc-BPPV affects the quality of life of primary care patients. A single EM can improve self-perceptions of disability by around 2 points on the DHI-S scale, Trial registration : ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01969513. Retrospectively registered. First Posted: October 25, 2013. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01969513


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricard Carrillo Muñoz ◽  
Jose Luis Ballve Moreno ◽  
Ivan Villar Balboa ◽  
Yolanda Rando Matos ◽  
Oriol Cunillera Puertolas ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (pc-BPPV) causes physical, functional, and emotional impairment. The treatment of choice is the Epley manoeuvre (EM). The purpose of the study was to compare the impact of the EM and a sham manoeuvre in primary care on self-perceived disability.Method: Randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial conducted in primary care with a follow-up of 1 year. Patients aged ≥18 years old diagnosed with pc-BPPV according to the Dix-Hallpike test (DHT) were randomised to an intervention (EM) group or a control (sham manoeuvre) group. The main study covariables were age, sex, history of depression and anxiety, presence of nystagmus in the DHT, patient-perceived disability assessed with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory-screening version (DHI-S). Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate mixed Tobit analyses. Results: Overall, 134 patients were studied: 66 in the intervention group and 68 in the control group. Median age was 52 years (interquartile range [IQR], 38.25–68.00 years) and 76.12% of the patients were women. The DHT triggered nystagmus in 40.30% of patients. The median total DHI-S score for the overall sample at baseline was 16 (IQR, 8.00–22.00); 16 [IQR, 10.5–24.0] vs 10 [6.0–14.0] for women vs men (P<0.001) and 16 [IQR, 10.0-24.0] vs 12 [IQR, 8.0–18.0] for patients without nystagmus vs those with nystagmus (P=0.033).Patients treated with the EM experienced a mean reduction of 2.03 points in DHI-S score over the follow-up period compared with patients in the sham group. Conclusion: Pc-BPPV affects the quality of life of primary care patients. A single EM can improve self-perceptions of disability by around 2 points on the DHI-S scale, Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01969513. Retrospectively registered. First Posted: October 25, 2013. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01969513


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