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 .
Physician-pharmacist cooperation program for blood pressure control in patients with hypertension: a randomized-controlled trial.
BACKGROUND The aim of the trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of a program of cooperation between physician and pharmacist to reduce cardiovascular risk factors in patients with mild to moderate hypertension by promoting better blood pressure ( BP ) control , appropriate changes in antihypertensive medications , and beneficial changes in lifestyle . METHODS The 132 subjects in this r and omized , controlled trial were in the age range of 40 - 79 years . The inclusion criteria were : systolic BP ( SBP ) ranging from 140 - 179 mm Hg and /or diastolic BP ( DBP ) ranging from 90 - 99 mm Hg and treatment-naive ( untreated for hypertension ) ; or on a regimen of medication for hypertension . Of these 132 subjects , 124 ( 94 % ) were already receiving treatment with antihypertensive medications . Equal numbers of subjects were r and omly assigned to one of two groups : a physician-pharmacist intervention group ( n = 66 ) and a control group ( n = 66 ) . RESULTS The 6-month follow-up rate was 97 % in both groups . At 6 months , the mean decrease in SBP/DBP , as measured at home in the morning , was 2.9/3.3 mm Hg in the intervention group relative to baseline ( P = 0.02 and P < 0.0001 for SBP and DBP , respectively ) . The mean decrease in home morning SBP in the intervention group was not significantly greater than in the control group . However , the DBP decline was significantly greater in the intervention than control groups , which showed a mean decrease of 2.8 mm Hg ( confidence interval : -5.5 to -0.1 ; P = 0.04 ) . The percentage of patients in whom control of home morning BP was achieved was 53 % in the intervention group and 47 % in the control group ( P = 0.40 ) . A higher percentage of patients in the intervention group , relative to the control group , were able to reduce the use of antihypertensive medications ( 31 vs. 8 % , P < 0.0001 ) , and fewer patients in this group required additional medications or increases in dosage relative to the controls ( 11 vs. 28 % , P = 0.03 ) . Patients of the intervention group were more likely to show reduction in body mass index and sodium intake and to stop smoking , as compared with the control group . CONCLUSIONS A program of cooperation between physician and pharmacist was successful in reducing cardiovascular risk factors in patients with mild to moderate hypertension by promoting better blood pressure ( BP ) control , appropriate changes in antihypertensive medications , and beneficial changes in lifestyle
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 .