OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of pharmacist interventions on glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients and to examine factors that could explain the variation across studies. METHODS A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and LILACS databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to July 2015. The search strategy included the use of MeSH terms or...

PURPOSE Physician-obtained medication histories were compared to those obtained by a pharmacist. METHODS Patients whose medication histories were obtained were included in the evaluation if they were at least 18 years old and admitted to an internal medicine service at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Data were collected in two phases. The first 20 patients identified for inclusion ...

BACKGROUND Medication non-adherence is a complex health care problem. Due to non-adherence, substantial numbers of cardiovascular patients benefit from their medication to only a limited extent. In order to improve adherence, a variety of pharmacist-led interventions have been developed. However, even the most effective interventions achieved only a modest positive effect. To be effective, inte...

In some settings, steps are being taken to more fully integrate pharmacists in primary health care as a means of improving the public’s health and reducing drug-related iatrogenesis. Yet, evidence of improvement in health outcomes from pharmacists’ inputs is mixed; the diversity of research approaches and methodologies makes it difficult to reach an overall conclusion about it. A detailed revie...

BACKGROUND Currently, people live longer but often with poor quality of life. The decrease in healthy life-years is partly attributable to the institution of polypharmacy to treat various comorbidities. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence and nature of drug-related problems (DRPs) in polypharmacy elderly patients residing in nursing homes and to test the ac...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of case management by a clinical pharmacist on glycemic control and preventive measures in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial in a university-affiliated primary care internal medicine clinic. METHODS We recruited 80 patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus. A clinical pharmacist provided evaluatio...

BACKGROUND People with decompensated cirrhosis require complex medical care and are often prescribed an intricate and frequently changing medication and lifestyle regimen. However, many patients mismanage their medications or have poor comprehension of their disease and self-management tasks. This can lead to harm, hospitalization, and death. METHODS/DESIGN A patient-oriented education and me...

BACKGROUND The multidisciplinary approach to managing heart failure has been shown to improve outcomes. The role of a clinical pharmacist in treating heart failure has not been evaluated. METHODS One hundred eighty-one patients with heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction <45) undergoing evaluation in clinic were randomized to an intervention or a control group. Pati...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In patients with hypertension, medication adherence is often suboptimal, thereby increasing the risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke. In a randomized trial, we investigated the effectiveness of a multifaceted pharmacist intervention in a hospital setting to improve medication adherence in hypertensive patients. Motivational interviewing was a key element of the inter...

BACKGROUND Noncompliance is a major factor in the morbidity and unnecessary hospital readmissions for patients with heart failure. Several studies have aimed to reduce rehospitalizations in heart failure patients through a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. Medication compliance was rarely measured in these studies or, when it was measured, the method employed was seldom valid. We aimed...