Community pharmacy based provision of pharmaceutical care to older patients.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the outcomes of a harmonized, structured pharmaceutical care programme provided to elderly patients by community pharmacists.


METHODS
A randomised, controlled, longitudinal, clinical trial with repeated measures was performed over an 18-month period, involving community pharmacies (5 intervention and 5 control) in Northern Ireland. Elderly, ambulatory patients (> or = 65 years), taking 4 or more prescribed medications were eligible for participation. Patients attending an intervention pharmacy received education on medical conditions, implementation of compliance strategies, rationalizing of drug regimens and appropriate monitoring; patients attending control sites received normal services. A battery of clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes were assessed.


RESULTS
A significantly higher proportion of intervention patients were compliant at the end of the 18-month study and experienced fewer problems with medication compared to control patients (P < 0.05). There was little impact on quality of life and health care utilisation.


CONCLUSIONS
Pharmaceutical care provision to community-dwelling patients resulted in an improvement in medication compliance and evidence of cost-savings. Future pharmaceutical care studies may benefit from a more focussed selective approach to data collection and outcomes measurement.
Sturgess
Ian K
IK
Clinical and Practice Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland.
McElnay
James C
JC
Hughes
Carmel M
CM
Crealey
Grainne
G
D000368:Aged; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003625:Data Collection; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009660:Northern Ireland; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010595:Pharmacists; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome