Improving hypertension control through a collaboration between an academic medical center and a chain community pharmacy

Abstract

Introduction Approximately one‐third of adults in the United States have hypertension (HTN), leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Objectives This quality improvement intervention was designed to improve HTN control among community‐dwelling adults through collaboration between patient‐centered medical homes (PCMH) within an academic medical center and chain community pharmacies. Methods Four PCMH sites in Ann Arbor, Michigan that were in close proximity to two Meijer pharmacies participated in this study between September 2016 and March 2017, which compared HTN outcomes for patients seen at two community pharmacies where the pharmacists received training on HTN management for patients who received usual care at their PCMH. The primary outcome was percent of patients who met their blood pressure (BP) goal of either <140/90 mmHg or < 150/90 mmHg compared with matched controls who received usual care at the PCMH. Secondary outcomes included number of medication recommendations made, percent of recommendations accepted by the primary care provider (PCP), and patient satisfaction. Results Patients who received care at the community pharmacy (n = 155) had a higher rate of BP control at 3 months than matched controls (61.8% vs 47.7%, P = 0.013). A total of 29 medication recommendations were made by community pharmacists and 26 were accepted by the PCP. Nearly 95% of patients rated the care they received as excellent or very good and over 95% stated that they would recommend the pharmacist at the Meijer pharmacy to their family and friends. Conclusion Patients who received HTN management services as part of a collaboration between an academic medical center and chain community pharmacy were significantly more likely to have controlled BP at 3 months compared with matched controls who received standard care. This model shows promise as being a strategy to expand access to care for patients while being mutually beneficial for community pharmacies and health systems.

Effectiveness of a pharmacist‐led educational intervention on health outcomes in hypertension management at community pharmacies in Nigeria: A two‐arm parallel single‐blind randomized controlled trial

“…The outcomes that were assessed in this study were QoL, adherence to medication management and cost of medications. Clinical outcome of hypertension management (blood pressure changes) was not assessed in this study because of the abundance of studies that concentrated on the impact of interventions on the same 3,18,20,21,23 . The intervention was carried out for 6 months, as was done in similar studies despite the disease states being chronic conditions 31,32 …”

“…22 The finding of the study was also similar to another conducted in Michigan, as the product of a collaboration between an academic medical centre and chain community pharmacy. 23 The aforementioned studies and others in the literature were majorly conducted in developed countries where healthcare service is at advanced state. Hence, there is a need to justify the possibility of community pharmacists involvement in the management of a chronic disease like hypertension in the low-and middle-income countries.…”

Pharmacist-provided services and community pharmacist integration into a patient-centered medical home: A qualitative study of primary care clinic staff perceptions

“…Further evaluation of this program is underway in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address some of these limitations. 31…”

Community pharmacist and family medicine clinic provision of chronic care management services for Medicare beneficiaries with uncontrolled hypertension

“…A considerable body of literature exists documenting the variety of approaches that have been evaluated to improve management of chronic disease, often called chronic care management (CCM) . Studies have demonstrated that pharmacists, including community pharmacists, can make valuable contributions to multidisciplinary CCM teams …”