Dataset Information

Sustained Blood Pressure Control Following Discontinuation of a Pharmacist Intervention for Veterans.

ABSTRACT: Clinical pharmacists are utilized in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities to assist with management of patients with chronic conditions including hypertension. The goal of this study was to examine blood pressure (BP) control after discontinuation of an intensive pharmacist-managed intervention. The study was conducted at a single Midwest VHA medical center and two affiliated community-based outpatient clinics. Patients with uncontrolled BP received an intensive pharmacist intervention for the first 6 months. Patients were then stratified based on whether their BP was controlled or not and were randomized to either continue the intervention for another 24 months (30 month total time period) or the intervention was discontinued following one-time receipt of educational materials. Mean systolic and diastolic BPs were reduced (P<.001) in diabetic patients (8.0±14.4 mm Hg and 4.0±9.1 mm Hg, respectively) and in nondiabetic patients (14.0±16.4 mm Hg and 5.0±10.0 mm Hg, respectively) following the 6-month intervention, with 54% of the total sample achieving BP control. BP control and the reduction in mean BP was maintained to a similar degree in both study groups at 12, 18, 24, and 30 months. There were no significant differences in BP at any of the follow-up periods in patients who did and did not receive the continued pharmacist intervention. This study found that BP control was maintained for at least 24 months following discontinuation of an intensive pharmacist intervention. These findings were seen in both the group that had a continued pharmacist intervention and in the group that had a one-time educational session when the intervention was discontinued. This study suggests that once BP control is achieved following a pharmacist intervention, patients can be referred back to their primary care provider for continued follow-up.

SUBMITTER: Carter BL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8032120 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Team-based care can improve hypertension control. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate blood pressure (BP) control 18 months following the discontinuation of a physician-pharmacist collaborative intervention. This was a retrospective analysis of patients who had previously participated in a prospective, cluster randomized, controlled clinical trial. Six community-based family medicine offices were randomized to control or intervention groups. Research nurses measured BPs using an automated device during the prospective trial. The research nurses then abstracted data from medical records, including BPs, medications, changes in therapy, and laboratory values for 18 months following the discontinuation of the 6-month prospective trial. The study included 228 patients in the control (n = 146) or intervention (n = 82) groups. The control group contained more patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease (P < .013), were older (P = .047), and had more coexisting conditions (P < .001) than the intervention group. Systolic BP 9 months following discontinuation of the physician-pharmacist intervention was 137.2 ± 18.2 mm Hg and 129.8 ± 13.3 mm Hg in the control and intervention groups, respectively (P = .0015). BP control was maintained in 61 (41.8%) control patients and 55 (67.1%) intervention patients (P = .0003). At 18 months post-intervention, systolic BP was 138.1 ± 20.4 mm Hg and 130.0 ± 16.0 mm Hg in the control and intervention groups, respectively (P = .023). BP control was maintained in 53 (36.3%) control patients and 55 (67.1%) intervention patients at 18 months post-intervention (P < .0001). A sensitivity analysis was conducted to address the uneven distribution of patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, and the differences between groups were still significant. BP control rates remained significantly higher following a physician-pharmacist intervention compared with usual care for 18 months after discontinuation of the intervention. This model has the potential value as a useful long-term strategy to benefit patients with hypertension.

Project description:Study objectiveTo assess blood pressure control after discontinuation of a physician-pharmacist collaborative intervention.DesignComparative analysis of data of the patients who received the intervention versus a control group from a prospective, cluster-randomized, 9-month efficacy trial and the same patients' data 18 and 27 months after completion of the trial, abstracted from their medical records.SettingFive primary care medical offices operated by a university health system.PatientsOne hundred four patients with hypertension; 65 were in the intervention group, and 39 were in the control group.Measurements and main resultsIn the prospective study, patients were randomized to receive a physician-pharmacist collaborative intervention to improve blood pressure control or to the control group. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured by a research nurse at baseline and at the end of the study (9 mo later). In the current study, data were abstracted for blood pressure and blood pressure control at 18 and 27 months (9 and 18 mo, respectively, after discontinuation of the study). At baseline, mean +/- SD systolic blood pressure was 152.5 +/- 9.5 and 150.1 +/- 9.6 mm Hg in the intervention and control groups, respectively (p=0.22). At 9 months, systolic blood pressure decreased to 124.5 +/- 10.7 and 132.0 +/- 15.1 mm Hg (p=0.0038 between groups), and blood pressure was controlled in 78.5% and 48.7% (p=0.0017) of patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively. By 18 months, systolic blood pressure had deteriorated to 131.0 +/- 12.2 and 143.3 +/- 17.5 mm Hg (p<0.001), and blood pressure control rates decreased to 53.9% and 30.8% (p=0.02). By 27 months, systolic blood pressure was 131.3 +/- 13.0 and 141.2 +/- 15.8 mm Hg (p=0.0008), and blood pressure control was 55.4% and 35.9% (p=0.05).ConclusionA sustained positive effect on blood pressure control was noted up to 18 months after discontinuation of a physician-pharmacist collaborative intervention, when compared with a control group. Blood pressure control did deteriorate at a similar rate in both the intervention and control groups, but the percentage of patients with controlled blood pressure remained significantly higher in the intervention group. These results suggest that continued interventions by pharmacists may be necessary to maintain high rates of blood pressure control, especially in those patients whose blood pressure begins to increase.

Project description:ImportanceOnly about half of patients with high blood pressure (BP) in the United States have their BP controlled. Practical, robust, and sustainable models are needed to improve BP control in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.ObjectivesTo determine whether an intervention combining home BP telemonitoring with pharmacist case management improves BP control compared with usual care and to determine whether BP control is maintained after the intervention is stopped.Design, setting, and patientsA cluster randomized clinical trial of 450 adults with uncontrolled BP recruited from 14,692 patients with electronic medical records across 16 primary care clinics in an integrated health system in Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota, with 12 months of intervention and 6 months of postintervention follow-up.InterventionsEight clinics were randomized to provide usual care to patients (n = 222) and 8 clinics were randomized to provide a telemonitoring intervention (n = 228). Intervention patients received home BP telemonitors and transmitted BP data to pharmacists who adjusted antihypertensive therapy accordingly.Main outcomes and measuresControl of systolic BP to less than 140 mm Hg and diastolic BP to less than 90 mm Hg (<130/80 mm Hg in patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease) at 6 and 12 months. Secondary outcomes were change in BP, patient satisfaction, and BP control at 18 months (6 months after intervention stopped).ResultsAt baseline, enrollees were 45% women, 82% white, mean (SD) age was 61.1 (12.0) years, and mean systolic BP was 148 mm Hg and diastolic BP was 85 mm Hg. Blood pressure was controlled at both 6 and 12 months in 57.2% (95% CI, 44.8% to 68.7%) of patients in the telemonitoring intervention group vs 30.0% (95% CI, 23.2% to 37.8%) of patients in the usual care group (P = .001). At 18 months (6 months of postintervention follow-up), BP was controlled in 71.8% (95% CI, 65.0% to 77.8%) of patients in the telemonitoring intervention group vs 57.1% (95% CI, 51.5% to 62.6%) of patients in the usual care group (P = .003). Compared with the usual care group, systolic BP decreased more from baseline among patients in the telemonitoring intervention group at 6 months (-10.7 mm Hg [95% CI, -14.3 to -7.3 mm Hg]; P<.001), at 12 months (-9.7 mm Hg [95% CI, -13.4 to -6.0 mm Hg]; P<.001), and at 18 months (-6.6 mm Hg [95% CI, -10.7 to -2.5 mm Hg]; P = .004). Compared with the usual care group, diastolic BP decreased more from baseline among patients in the telemonitoring intervention group at 6 months (-6.0 mm Hg [95% CI, -8.6 to -3.4 mm Hg]; P<.001), at 12 months (-5.1 mm Hg [95% CI, -7.4 to -2.8 mm Hg]; P<.001), and at 18 months (-3.0 mm Hg [95% CI, -6.3 to 0.3 mm Hg]; P = .07).Conclusions and relevanceHome BP telemonitoring and pharmacist case management achieved better BP control compared with usual care during 12 months of intervention that persisted during 6 months of postintervention follow-up.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00781365.

Dataset Information

Sustained Blood Pressure Control Following Discontinuation of a Pharmacist Intervention for Veterans.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets