Impact of pharmacy outreach services on blood pressure management in the elderly community of Hong Kong

Source: Geriatrics and Gerontology International Area: Evidence > Medicines Management > References Aim: To investigate the impact of the Pharmacy Outreach Service (POS) on blood pressure (BP) and disease knowledge among community-dwelling elderly patients with hypertension, and to evaluate the sustainability of such impact of POS. Methods: A prospective open-labeled study of elderly adults (aged 65 years or older) with hypertension (BP 140/90 mmHg or higher for non-diabetics and 130/80 mmHg or higher for diabetics) was carried out at seven elderly community centres from Jul 2008 to Mar 2010.  Pharmacists provided BP monitoring, medication review and disease knowledge assessment.  The target BP was below 140/90 mmHg for non-diabetics and below 130/80 mmHg for diabetics.  The primary outcome was BP change, whereas the secondary outcome was the change of disease knowledge of hypertension.  All outcomes were compared between baseline and the last visit.  For POS 2008-09 participants, BP was compared between values obtained during POS ...
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Source Type: news