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Can a self-management programme delivered by a community pharmacist improve asthma control? A randomised trial
D Barbanel1, S Eldridge, C Griffiths
1Institute of Community Health Sciences, Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London E1 4NS, UK.
Thorax
|September 30, 2003
Summary
Community pharmacists can improve asthma control through self-management programs. This study found that pharmacist-led interventions significantly reduced asthma symptoms in patients recruited from community pharmacies.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacy Practice
- Respiratory Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited research exists on community pharmacist-led asthma self-management.
- Most asthma self-management trials occur in secondary care, with uncertainty about primary care effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if community pharmacists can improve asthma control via self-management advice.
- To assess the effectiveness of a pharmacist-delivered intervention in primary care settings.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled study involving 24 adults with asthma recruited from a community pharmacy.
- Intervention group received pharmacist self-management advice and weekly phone follow-up for 3 months.
- Control group received no pharmacist input; symptom scores measured using the North of England asthma symptom scale.
Main Results:
- The intervention group showed improved asthma symptom scores (20.3 from 26.3).
- The control group's symptom scores marginally worsened (28.1 from 27.8).
- The difference in symptom score improvement between groups was statistically significant (p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Community pharmacist-delivered self-management programs can effectively improve asthma control.
- Findings suggest a valuable role for community pharmacists in primary asthma care.
- Further research with larger samples and diverse outcomes is recommended.