A report offers even more proof that pharmacists can improve the care people living with diabetes receive.
Developed in partnership with Great-West Life, Shoppers Drug Mart’s Pharmacist Interventions in Diabetes report shows how pharmacists were able to support diabetes management and influence improvements in health outcomes for participants in a research study.
It then illustrates how these same benefits could be expanded for all Canadians living with diabetes.
Read: Greater pharmacist role enhances health and cost outcomes: Study
Using the results of a five-minute finger prick blood test (an A1C test), Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists provided participating Great-West Life plan members with appropriate lifestyle counselling, medication recommendations and, where necessary, physician referrals.
For those patients who returned for a second test, the researchers made some important discoveries. For one, the number of patients who reached their target tripled after the first intervention with a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist.
Secondly, about half of all patients with a follow-up appointment had a clinically significant reduction in their blood sugar levels.
What’s more, patients who met their target increased fourfold after the pharmacist consulted with their physician.
Read: The cost of diabetes
And of those patients who were not initially at target and received a therapy change, half successfully reached target by their follow-up appointment.
The report also includes supporting research where Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists provided patients with a range of interventions that escalated depending on the severity of the A1C test results.
These interventions included discussions on diet, nutrition, exercise and insulin if applicable, adjusting their medication, follow-up appointments or physician referrals.
The report concludes with a number of recommendations, including:
- expanding the collaborative opportunities for pharmacists to assess patients’ risk of developing diabetes;
- enhancing pharmacists’ scope of practice across the country to allow them to conduct A1C tests for eligible patients and to access test results;
- enabling pharmacists to structure and support a plan for patients to self-manage their care through the use of A1C test results and other diabetes assessment tools;
- increasing scope of practice to allow pharmacists in all provinces to adapt prescriptions in order to help improve patient; and
- strengthening opportunities for pharmacist-physician communication and collaboration to better support patients in attaining lifestyle and health outcome goals, especially with respect to their plan of care and any changes in their diabetes-related therapy.
Read: The next epidemic: Diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome
In a press release, a representative from the Canadian Diabetes Association endorsed the “innovative models “ outlined in the report.
“Effective self-management of diabetes is critical to the prevention of the downstream complications of diabetes such as blindness, amputation and kidney failure,” said Dr. Jan Hux, CDA’s chief science officer.
“People living with diabetes need supports from all parts of the health care system to achieve their goals and live well with their disease. Pharmacists with enhanced diabetes training provide a skilled and accessible resource to help people with diabetes achieve their health goals.”
This story originally appeared on our sister site, CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca.