Influence of pharmaceutical care on health outcomes in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS To examine the influence of a pharmaceutical care programme on disease control and health-related quality of life in Type 2 diabetes patients in the United Arab Emirates. METHODS A total of 240 Type 2 diabetes patients were recruited into a randomized, controlled, prospective clinical trial with a 12-month follow-up. A range of clinical measures, medication adherence and health-related quality of life (Short Form 36) were evaluated at baseline and up to 12 months. Intervention group patients received pharmaceutical care from a clinical pharmacist, whereas control group patients received their usual care from medical and nursing staff. The primary outcome measure was change in HbA1c. British National Formulary and Framingham scoring methods were used to estimate changes in 10-year coronary heart disease risk scores in all patients. RESULTS A total of 234 patients completed the study. Significant reductions (P < 0.001) in mean values (baseline vs. 12 months; 95% confidence interval) of HbA1c [8.5% (8.3, 8.7) vs. 6.9% (6.7, 7.1)], systolic [131.4 mmHg (128.1, 134.7) vs. 127.2 mmHg (124.4, 130.1)] and diastolic blood pressure [85.2 mmHg (83.5, 86.8) vs. 76.3 mmHg (74.9, 77.7)] were observed in the intervention group; no significant changes were noted in the control group. The mean Framingham risk prediction score in the intervention group was 10.56% (9.7, 11.4) at baseline; this decreased to 7.7% (6.9, 8.5) (P < 0.001) at 12 months but remained unchanged in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The pharmaceutical care programme resulted in better glycaemic control and reduced cardiovascular risk scores in Type 2 diabetes patients over a 12-month period. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 The British Pharmacological Society.