Pharmacist interventions for obesity: improving treatment adherence and patient outcomes

Abstract

Obesity is currently a worldwide pandemic, with overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥25 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) estimated at 35% and 12% of the global adult population, respectively. According to data collected from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, approximately 68.8% of US adults are overweight or obese. Additionally, a large burden of health care costs can be attributed directly to obesity as well as multiple, potentially preventable, comorbidities such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. As a result, national and international organizations, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, have made halting the rise of the obesity epidemic a top priority. Pharmacists, commonly considered one of the most trustworthy and accessible health care professionals, are ideally situated to provide counseling for weight and lifestyle management. This review presents examples of pharmacist-led as well as collaborative practices that have been somewhat successful in educating and monitoring patient progress in attaining weight-loss goals. Common barriers and potential solutions to administration of lifestyle counseling and monitoring programs, such as limited pharmacist time and resources, lack of expertise and/or confidence in program administration, and patient perception and awareness, are also discussed.

Experiences of the Pharmacy-Led Weight Management Service: Views of Service Providers in England

“…However, in the UK, only a small number of studies exist in terms of the evaluation and success rate of pharmacy-led WM services. Most of the studies, even those with high dropout rates, concluded that pharmacy-led WM services can have a potential positive effect in weight-loss management and lifestyle alterations [7]. Boardman et al [8] assessed the success rate of such services in supporting obese patients during weight loss.…”

Clinical Pharmacists in Chronic Care

“…The WHO estimated that in 2016 more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight (nearly 40% of the population) and over 650 million (13% of the population) were people with obesity [107].Globally, the annual cost of obesity-related diseases has reached $2 trillion according to a recent report by McKinsey Global Institute [108]. Obesity increases cardiovascular risk through risk factors such as increased fasting plasma triglycerides, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, elevated blood glucose and insulin levels and high blood pressure [109,110]. Also, obesity causes cerebral vasculopathy, gallbladder lithiasis, arthropathy, ovarian polycytosis, sleep apnea syndrome, and some neoplasms [111].…”

Building a Patient-Centered Weight Management Program: A Mixed Methods Project to Obtain Patients’ Information Needs and Ideas for Program Structure

“…Moreover, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards requires pharmacists be trained to interpret laboratory results, perform health screenings, and provide basic physical assessments [23]. Pharmacists also learn how to design and implement national or community-based public health, wellness, and prevention programs [23].…”

“…Moreover, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards requires pharmacists be trained to interpret laboratory results, perform health screenings, and provide basic physical assessments [23]. Pharmacists also learn how to design and implement national or community-based public health, wellness, and prevention programs [23]. This baseline knowledge can be easily paired with specific training on basic dietary counselling, physical activity guidance, and behavioral counseling prior to providing a weight management program [23].…”

“…Pharmacists also learn how to design and implement national or community-based public health, wellness, and prevention programs [23]. This baseline knowledge can be easily paired with specific training on basic dietary counselling, physical activity guidance, and behavioral counseling prior to providing a weight management program [23]. Previous research evaluating such community pharmacy-led weight management programs demonstrated pharmacists' ability to assist patients with a mean weight loss of 3.8 kg across several studies [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”