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Community pharmacy-based pharmaceutical care for asthma patients
Sandra Mangiapane1, Martin Schulz, Stephan Mühlig
1Center for Drug Information and Pharmacy Practice, ABDA-Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists, Berlin, Germany.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
|October 13, 2005
Summary
Pharmaceutical care (PC) significantly improved asthma patients' quality of life and adherence to treatment. Further research is needed to confirm economic benefits, especially in severe asthma cases.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Health Outcomes Research
Background:
- Asthma morbidity and mortality remain high despite advances in drug therapy.
- The impact of pharmaceutical care (PC) on asthma health outcomes requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of pharmaceutical care (PC) in adults with asthma.
- Evaluate clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes associated with PC.
Main Methods:
- A 12-month intervention study involving 183 adult asthma patients, 39 pharmacies, and 84 physicians.
- Economic outcomes analyzed using 2 years of claims data from German statutory health insurance funds (n=55) with 1:10 matching to a control group (n=550).
Main Results:
- Significant improvements observed in humanistic outcomes, including asthma-specific quality of life, self-efficacy, knowledge, and medication adherence.
- Positive changes noted in asthma severity, symptom reporting, peak expiratory flow, and inhalation technique.
- Insurance claims data indicated a trend towards improved adherence to evidence-based asthma therapies.
Conclusions:
- Pharmaceutical care (PC) positively influences humanistic and some clinical outcomes for asthma patients.
- Future research should investigate potential economic benefits, particularly in patients with more severe asthma.