A clinical ly relevant but not statistically significant reduction in triglycerides was found .
No impact on HDL-C levels was found .
Patients ' adherence to pharmacotherapeutic regimens and quality of life were considered possibly not sensitive and possibly sensitive to pharmacist interventions , respectively .
Total cholesterol is sensitive to pharmacist interventions , while LDL-C and triglyceride levels are possibly sensitive to those interventions .
BACKGROUND Hyperlipidemia increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases , and control is pivotal for preventing disease complications .
Multidisciplinary interventions , including those performed by pharmacists , are important for improving patients ' outcomes .
OBJECTIVE To quantify the impact of pharmacist interventions in enhancing patients ' outcomes .
Apparent discontinuation rates in patients prescribed lipid-lowering drugs.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate apparent discontinuation rates in patients newly prescribed lipid-lowering drugs . DESIGN AND SETTING A prospect i ve survey of 12 months ' dispensing data in 138 community pharmacies across metropolitan Sydney . PATIENTS 610 adults ( 49 % men ) with a mean age of 58 years ; 91 % of prescriptions were from general practitioners ; prescribed drugs were simvastatin ( 54 % ) , pravastatin ( 31 % ) and gemfibrozil ( 15 % ) . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The number of patients failing to collect prescription refills . RESULTS 60 % of patients ( 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 56%-64 % ) apparently discontinued their medication over 12 months . Half of the apparent discontinuations occurred within three months and a quarter within one month of starting treatment . The predominant reasons for discontinuation were : patient unconvinced about need for treatment ( 32 % ) , poor efficacy ( 32 % ) and adverse events ( 7 % ) . Only half of those experiencing poor efficacy were switched to another drug . The relative risk ( RR ) of discontinuation was lower in older patients ( age 65 + v. < 50 years : RR 0.66 ; 95 % CI 0.47 - 0.93 ) and in those using other cardiovascular drugs ( RR 0.69 ; CI 0.56 - 0.86 ) , but was increased in those showing early evidence of poor compliance ( RR 1.77 ; CI 1.33 - 2.35 ) . Discontinuation appeared to be unrelated to sex , the source of the prescription ( general practitioner or specialist ) , past use of lipid-lowering drugs or the cost of medication . CONCLUSIONS High apparent discontinuation rates with lipid-lowering drugs suggest significant wastage of re sources in treatments that are initiated but not continued and a lost opportunity for heart disease prevention . Many patients appear to discontinue therapy for illogical reasons and this may be amenable to intervention
A clinical ly relevant but not statistically significant reduction in triglycerides was found .
No impact on HDL-C levels was found .
Patients ' adherence to pharmacotherapeutic regimens and quality of life were considered possibly not sensitive and possibly sensitive to pharmacist interventions , respectively .
Total cholesterol is sensitive to pharmacist interventions , while LDL-C and triglyceride levels are possibly sensitive to those interventions .
BACKGROUND Hyperlipidemia increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases , and control is pivotal for preventing disease complications .
Multidisciplinary interventions , including those performed by pharmacists , are important for improving patients ' outcomes .
OBJECTIVE To quantify the impact of pharmacist interventions in enhancing patients ' outcomes .