A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AN INTEGRATED PHARMACEUTICAL CARE PLAN AND A ROUTINE CARE IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is a chronic chest disease constituting a serious public health problem all over the world. Unfortunately it is still too often poorly controlled and evidence-based guidelines are still insufficiently implemented. A paradigm shift for asthma care implies that the level of asthma control should be continuously monitored and that treatment should be adjusted according to the patients’ current asthma-control status. Pharmacists could assist to achieve and maintain asthma control by providing patient education and medical supervision. Aim: The study compares the effect of asthma care by clinical pharmacist intervention versus routine care on asthma control. Patients and Methods: A 2-month randomized, controlled trial was conducted in outpatient clinics of Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt. Patients were randomly assigned to receive routine care (n=30) or a pre-defined pharmacist intervention (n=30). This intervention mainly focused on patient education, improving inhalation technique and medication assessment. Primary outcome was the level of asthma control, as assessed by the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ (.

Results: By the end of the study, the intervention patients who received a written action plan significantly improved their ACQ results than routine care group who did not receive a plan (p<0.0001).The intervention also reduced reliever medication use and the frequency of night-time awakenings due to asthma. Inhalation technique and adherence to controller medication were significantly better in the intervention group. Conclusion: The present study results provide supportive evidence concerning pharmacists’ favorable effects on asthma patient care and support clinical pharmacists as key members of the health care team.