68 % of the outcomes reported showed that clinical pharmacy services were associated with better improvement in patients ' outcomes compared with the control group .
The involvement of a pharmacist demonstrated an ability to improve CVD outcomes through providing educational intervention , medicine management intervention , or a combination of both .
These interventions result ed in improved CVD risk factors , improved patient outcomes , and reduced number of drug-related problems with a direct effect on CVD control .
These improvements may lead to an improvement in patient quality of life , better use of health care re sources , and a reduced rate of mortality
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) is considered to be the main cause of death and one of the most common diseases affecting health care systems worldwide .
Many methods have been used to improve CVD outcomes , one of which is to involve clinical pharmacists in the direct care of patients with CVD .
OBJECTIVE To perform a systematic review assessing the effectiveness of clinical pharmacist interventions within a multidisciplinary team in the secondary prevention of CVD , using studies conducted on patients with heart failure , coronary heart disease , or those with CVD risk factors .
The Physician and Pharmacist Team: An Effective Approach to Cholesterol Reduction
OBJECTIVE : To assess the effect of a program that encourages teamwork between physicians and pharmacists on attempts to lower total cholesterol levels and to meet recommended goals proposed by the National Cholesterol Education Program ( NCEP ) . DESIGN A single-blind , r and omized , controlled trial lasting 6 months . SETTING : An ambulatory primary care center . PATIENTS : A sample of 94 patients with total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL ( 6.2 mmol/L ) or higher . INTERVENTION : Equal numbers of patients were r and omly assigned to a control arm in which st and ard medical care was received and an intervention arm which implemented close interaction between physicians and pharmacists . MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS : Absolute change in total cholesterol levels from baseline values and the percentage of patients who achieved an NCEP goal after 6 months of intervention were determined . The rate of success in achieving NCEP goals in the intervention arm was double the rate in the control arm ( 43 % vs 21 % , p < .05 ) . Total cholesterol levels in the intervention arm declined 44 + /- 47 mg/dL ( 1.1 + /- 1.2 mmol/L ) versus 13 + /- 51 mg/dL ( 0.3 + /- 1.3 mmol/L ) in the control arm ( p < .01 ) . The effect of intervention on reducing total cholesterol levels was similar for men and women and did not appear to be altered by age . The effect of intervention was greatest in patients with coronary heart disease ( p < .01 ) followed by those without disease but with two or more coronary heart disease risk factors ( p < .05 ) . An effect of intervention was absent in patients without coronary heart disease and with fewer than two risk factors . CONCLUSIONS : Attempts to lower total cholesterol levels and achieve NCEP goals are likely to be more successful when combined with programs that include teamwork between physicians and pharmacists . Some programs , however , may be more successful for high-risk patients , for whom it is often easier to provide more aggressive therapies . Although altering adverse lipid profiles in lower-risk patients may be difficult , achieving optimal cholesterol levels could have an important impact on preventing movement to higher risk strata
68 % of the outcomes reported showed that clinical pharmacy services were associated with better improvement in patients ' outcomes compared with the control group .
The involvement of a pharmacist demonstrated an ability to improve CVD outcomes through providing educational intervention , medicine management intervention , or a combination of both .
These interventions result ed in improved CVD risk factors , improved patient outcomes , and reduced number of drug-related problems with a direct effect on CVD control .
These improvements may lead to an improvement in patient quality of life , better use of health care re sources , and a reduced rate of mortality
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) is considered to be the main cause of death and one of the most common diseases affecting health care systems worldwide .
Many methods have been used to improve CVD outcomes , one of which is to involve clinical pharmacists in the direct care of patients with CVD .
OBJECTIVE To perform a systematic review assessing the effectiveness of clinical pharmacist interventions within a multidisciplinary team in the secondary prevention of CVD , using studies conducted on patients with heart failure , coronary heart disease , or those with CVD risk factors .