Prominence of clinical pharmacist in enhancing therapeutic outcomes of diabetes with hypertension in low socio-economic population

Background: Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline whereby pharmacists provide patient care that optimizes medication therapy and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention. The practice of clinical pharmacy embraces the philosophy of pharmaceutical care; it blends a caring orientation with specialized therapeutic knowledge, experience, and judgment for the purpose of ensuring optimal patient outcomes. This field of pharmacy practice focuses on patient-oriented rather than drug product-oriented service. Objectives: • To identify drug interactions. • To identify adverse drug reactions. • To monitor impact of counselling. • To improve medication adherence. • To improve therapeutic outcome for chronic disease patients (Diabetes with hypertension.) Method: The study was conducted from October 2017 to March 2018 in Government General Hospital, Guntur. Patients were recruited in the study based on inclusion criteria. Data was collected by using data collection forms. Questionnaires were given to the patients. Regular follow-ups had been conducted and their laboratory data was recorded. During follow-ups patients were monitored for dispensing errors, prescription errors, dose errors, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions. Counselling had been provided to the patients regarding their medications, diseases, life style modifications. After continuous follow-ups for 3 months (20 days interval), we observed for improvement in knowledge regarding disease and drugs, medication adherence, therapeutic outcomes. Results: 60 patients are included (Diabetes with Hypertension). The mean therapeutic outcome value in Diabetes with Hypertension initially and after follow-ups is 175.88±39.15(FBS), 284.61±73.31(RBS), 152.16±15.95(SBP), 94.16±7.65(DBP) and 161.83±23.95(FBS), 226.15±44.86(RBS), 147.5±12.57(SBP), 92.16±6.13(DBP) respectively. KAP before counselling and after counselling was 55.45±6.41 and 55.45±6.41 respectively. Medication adherence before and after counselling was 32.26±2.29 and 42.51±2.44. Conclusion: By counselling the patients there is an increase in KAP, medication adherence, decrease in DRP’s thereby increase in therapeutic outcomes. So, clinical pharmacists are important in enhancing patient care.