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General practitioner and pharmacist collaboration: does this improve risk factors for cardiovascular disease and
Kanika Chaudhri1,2, Adina Hayek3, Hueiming Liu2,4
1Cardiovascular Division, The George Insitute for Global Health, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
This systematic review examines how collaboration between general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists impacts cardiovascular risk outcomes. Evidence suggests pharmacist involvement can improve patient care and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in primary care settings.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Primary Care Medicine
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of death and disability.
- A significant treatment gap exists for patients at high risk of CVD, despite available evidence-based medicines.
- Pharmacist-led interventions show promise for managing chronic diseases, including CVD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on the impact of collaborative care between general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists on cardiovascular risk outcomes.
- To assess the effectiveness of interprofessional collaboration in improving patient cardiovascular health in primary care.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Comprehensive database searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts) up to October 2018.
- Data extraction by two independent reviewers, focusing on cardiovascular risk factor improvement and collaborative care models.
Main Results:
- The review will synthesize findings on the primary outcome: improvement in cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., hypertension) through GP-pharmacist cooperation.
- Secondary outcomes will describe various collaborative care models implemented between GPs and pharmacists.
- A narrative synthesis will be presented, with a meta-analysis conducted if data are homogenous.
Conclusions:
- This systematic review protocol outlines a rigorous methodology to evaluate the impact of GP-pharmacist collaboration on cardiovascular risk.
- Findings will inform future interventions aimed at optimizing cardiovascular care in primary settings.
- The results will be disseminated through publications and conference presentations.
Introduction:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major cause of morbidity and premature mortality globally. Despite the availability of low-cost evidence based medicines, there is a significant treatment gap in those with established or at high risk of CVD in the primary care setting. Pharmacist-based interventions have shown to improve patient outcomes for many chronic diseases including CVD. However, there is little synthesised evidence that has examined the effects of collaborative care between general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists on patients' cardiovascular risk outcomes. This protocol aims to outline the methods employed in a systematic review of current literature to assess whether interprofessional collaboration between GPs and pharmacists has an impact on improving cardiovascular risk outcomes among patients in the primary care setting.
Methods And Analysis:
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) will be identified through database searches, scanning reference lists of relevant studies, hand searching of key journals and citation searching of key papers. Two independent reviewers will screen studies against eligibility criteria and extract data using standardised forms. Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, will be searched from the beginning of each database until October 2018. Primary outcome includes improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, due to GP and pharmacist cooperation. Secondary outcome is to describe the different types of GP and pharmacist collaborative models of care. A narrative synthesis of findings will be presented. A meta-analysis will be performed if the data are homogenous.
Ethics And Dissemination:
This study does not require ethics approval. The results of the systematic review described within this protocol will be disseminated through presentations at relevant conferences and publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The methods will be used to inform future reviews.
Prospero Registration Number:
CRD42017055259.
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