Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANATOLIAN CLINIC JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, cilt.28, sa.3, ss.372-381, 2023 (TRDizin)
Aim: Hypertension (HT) is a chronic disease characterized by high blood pressure and can cause many complications. Pharmacists can contribute to the quality of life and treatment success of HT patients with their pharmaceutical care service. The aim of our study is to examine the effects of pharmaceutical care services provided by pharmacists on HT illness perceptions and treatment adherence.
Methods: This study was a non-invasive, prospective, observational study with participation of HT patient who applied a community pharmacy in Istanbul between June-December 2020. In the first interview, demographic data, illness perceptions, and adherence levels of the participants were measured. At the end of the first interview, the participants were given structured written and oral training by the pharmacist, and the effects of the training provided by the pharmacist were measured again in the second interview 90 days later. The Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Morisky Green Levine Treatment Adherence Scale were used to examine the effects of the services provided by the pharmacist after two interviews conducted three months apart.
Results: Of the 75 patients included in our study, 48, 64% were female, and the mean age was 59.68 ± 10.79 years. Most participants (55, 73.32%) had a secondary school education or less, and 58 (77.33%) were not working. In our sample, where the mean duration of HT was 11.48 ± 7.24 years, the most frequently prescribed antihypertensive drug group was diuretics. After the pharmaceutical care service provided by the pharmacist, a statistically significant difference was observed in all sub-dimensions of the participants' illness perception (p<0.05). The adherence level of the participants increased from 79.75% to 95% after the pharmacist intervention, and this increase was statistically significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: It is available in the literature that increased disease perception and adherence in HT patients have positive effects on treatment success and quality of life. In our study, the effects of the pharmaceutical care service provided by the pharmacist were shown. As a result, clinical pharmacists are needed to improve patient care.