title: [Integrated pharmaceutical care programme in patients with chronic diseases].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether an integrated pharmaceutical care programme (IPCP) improves clinical evolution, patient quality of life, and reduces health costs in chronic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A parallel, open, and multi-centre clinical trial of an IPCP in patients with heart failure (HF) and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 8 different health areas in Cataluña. The intervened patient was monitored for pharmacotherapeutic evolution by hospital pharmacists, primary care physicians, and community pharmacists. Controls received normal follow-up. All patients were monitored for 12 months, with quality of life tests administered at the beginning and end of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We had the participation of 8 different hospitals, 8 primary care centres, and 109 community pharmacies. 238 patients completed the study, with 2.9% of participants lost during the study period. There were no significant differences in terms of readmissions, visits to the doctors, or to emergency services. We detected 50 different medication-related problems (MRP) in 37 patients, with a statistically significant difference in terms of MRP between the control and treatment groups of patients with HF, and almost significant differences in COPD patients. MRP were moderate-severe in 36% of cases. MRP were avoidable in 94% of cases, and the pharmacist resolved the issue in 90% of cases. There were no differences in terms of patient quality of life or health costs between the start and end of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Integrated pharmaceutical care programs facilitate an improvement in the quality of patient care, but electronic registries are necessary to promote communication between sections of the health care network.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Farmacia, Corporación Sanitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Barcelona, España. mgorgas@tauli.cat
authors.forename: M Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Gorgas Torner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pàez Vives
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Camós Ramió
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Puig Cabrera
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jolonch Santasusagna
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Homs Peipoch
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schoenenberger Arnaiz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Codina Jané
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gómez-Arbonés
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010595:Pharmacists; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D013030:Spain