title: Effectiveness of Dader Method for pharmaceutical care on control of blood pressure and total cholesterol in outpatients with cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk: EMDADER-CV randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although some studies have demonstrated that pharmacist intervention can improve drug therapy among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), more evidence derived from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is needed, including assessment of the effect of community pharmacist interventions in patients with CVD.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness of the Dader Method for pharmaceutical care on achieving therapeutic goals for blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol (TC), and both BP and TC (BP/TC) in patients with CVD and/or high or intermediate cardiovascular (CV) risk attending community pharmacies in Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 25 to 74 years attending community pharmacies with a prescription for at least 1 drug indicated for CVD or CV risk factors were randomized to 2 groups: an intervention group that received pharmaceutical care, which was provided by specially trained pharmacists working in collaboration with physicians, and a control group that received usual care (routine dispensing counseling) and verbal and written counseling regarding CVD prevention. Patients were recruited from December 2005 to September 2006, and both groups were followed for 8 months. Study outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 16 and 32 weeks after randomization. The primary outcome measures were the proportions of patients achieving BP, TC, and BP/TC therapeutic goals (BP lower than 140/90 mm Hg for patients with uncomplicated hypertension and lower than 130/80 mm Hg for patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or history of myocardial infarction or stroke; TC lower than 200 mg per dL for patients without CVD and lower than 175 mg per dL for patients with CVD). Secondary outcomes were mean BP and TC values. BP was assessed manually by the pharmacist after a 10-minute rest in the supine position. This measurement was performed twice for every participant, and the average of the 2 measurements was calculated. TC was measured by the pharmacist during the study visit using the enzymatic dry method. Statistical analyses were performed using 2-tailed McNemar tests, Pearson chi-square tests, and Student's t-tests; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  714 patients were included in the study (356 intervention, 358 control), and the mean [SD] age was 62.8 [8.1] years. The 2 groups were similar at baseline in clinical and demographic characteristics, including the proportion of patients at therapeutic goals for BP, TC, and BP/TC. After 8 months of follow-up, there were statistically significant differences in favor of pharmaceutical care in the proportions of patients who achieved therapeutic goals for BP (52.5% vs. 43.0%, P=0.017), TC (56.5% vs. 44.1%, P=0.001), and BP/TC (37.1% vs. 21.8%, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with usual care plus written education, pharmaceutical care focused on patient evaluation and follow-up in collaboration with physicians improved the achievement of BP, TC, and BP/TC treatment goals in patients with CVD and/or high or intermediate CV risk attending community pharmacies in Spain.
authors.affiliation: University of Antioquia, Pharmacy, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. pamaris@farmacia.udea.edu.co
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amariles
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sabater-Hernández
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Jiménez
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Chamorro
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prats-Más
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marín-Magán
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Galán-Ceballos
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Martín
authors.forename: María José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Faus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol