Evaluation of Impact of a Pharmacist-Led Educational Campaign on Disease Knowledge, Practices and Medication Adherence for Type-2 Diabetic Patients: A Prospective Pre- and Post-Analysis

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern with an alarming global growth rate. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Saudi Arabia ranks seventh in the world and second in the Middle East for the largest estimated burden of diabetic cases. Evidence shows that pharmacist-led care programs can be beneficial for the effective treatment of diabetes mellitus. Current study was aimed to evaluate the impact of Pharmacist-Based Diabetic Intervention (PDIM) for Type 2 Diabetes patients on knowledge of the disease, adherence to medications and self-care practices during the first wave of COVID-19. A multi-arm pre-post study was conducted among type 2 diabetic patients from April to October 2021 in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia. Patients were randomly divided into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group received the PDIM, whereas the control group only received the usual care. The pharmacist-based diabetes intervention model consisted of a diabetic educational module and medication improvement strategies. Furthermore, the intervention group also received specific telepharmacy services (calls, messages or emails) to address their medication-related problems, inquire about medication adherence and follow-up. At the end of six months, disease knowledge, self-care practices, and medication adherence score were analyzed. Furthermore, HbA1c and lipid profile were also compared. A total of 109 patients were included in the study. A significant difference was observed in the knowledge score between the intervention and control group (16.89 ± 2.01 versus 15.24 ± 2.03, p-value < 0.001). Similarly, self-care practices also improved in the intervention group as compared to the control group (4.39 ± 1.10 versus 3.16 ± 0.97, p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, the medication adherence and HbA1c significantly improved during between the group analysis (p < 0.05). Our study demonstrates that pharmacist-based diabetes intervention model is effective in improving patients’ knowledge of diabetes, self-care practices, medication adherence and glycemic control.

Application, Benefits, and Limitations of Telepharmacy for Patients with Diabetes in the Outpatient Setting

“… 50 Drug delivery technology can improve medication adherence in adults The risk of MDS not functioning properly, the user does not clearly understand the function of the device Tourkmani et al (2021), Saudi Arabia 10 Prospective single cohort pre/post intervention To assess the impact of virtual clinics on glycaemic control among patients with type 2 DM Counseling Medication counseling and therapeutic interventions using virtual clinic by telephone Not mentioned Significant decrease in HbA1c values from 9.98 ± 1.33 pre intervention to 8.32 ± 1.31 post intervention, decreased patient visits to the hospital in 64% of the patients. There is no specific platform that guarantees patient privacy There is no classification of patients based on condition status Collaboration and coordination with health facilities should be through written workflows Khan et al (2022), Saudi Arabia 38 RCT To evaluate the impact of pharmacist-based diabetic intervention on disease knowledge, medication adherence and self-care management Counseling Counseling and monitoring via telepharmacy services (calls, messages or emails) for 6 months 109 Significant improvement in the intervention group towards knowledge of diabetes, and self-care management. Improvements in medication adherence and HbA1c values in the intervention and control groups Not identified Abbreviation : RCT, randomized controlled trial.…”

Global research trends and hotspots in pharmaceutical care: a bibliometric analysis and visualisation using CiteSpace and VOSviewer

“…Telephone follow-up by clinical pharmacists can improve treatment outcomes in patients with peptic ulcers 40. A pharmacist-based diabetes intervention model can effectively improve patients’ diabetes knowledge, self-care habits, medication compliance and blood sugar control 41…”

Surgical Pharmacy for Optimizing Medication Therapy Management Services within Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS®) Programs

“…Patients need to be involved in pharmaceutical care after surgery. Medication management includes assessment of postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting monitoring [ 110 ], nutrition status, venous thromboembolism, infection prevention and treatment, and the reasons for poor efficacy, safety, adherence [ 111 ], and execution accuracy of ERAS medication therapy. Postoperative medication reconciliation and dynamic pharmaceutical monitoring are instituted for drug treatment effects, adverse reactions, drug–drug interactions, and drug administration in special populations.…”