The implication is that those responsible for managing pharmacists should be aware of the existence of communities of practice and work with them, rather than against them, for mutual benefit.
Pharmacist interventions were classified using a priori defined categories based on a recent systematic review of pharmacist care of patients with heart failure (21) as pharmacist-directed care (pharmacist initiated and managed interventions) and pharmacist collaborative care (pharmacist collaborated in interventions conducted by a multidisciplinary healthcare team).
Although it was a pilot trial to inform the design for a subsequent definitive trial, the findings suggested that compared to usual care, participants' pain levels, as measured by the chronic pain grade (CPG), improved in both pharmacist-led intervention groups, particularly in the group managed by pharmacist prescribing.
Across all of the focus groups, the factors thought to affect medication safety were summarised using three superordinate themes: relationships involving the pharmacist; demands on the pharmacist; managing pharmacy work.
These can be managed by pharmacists or pharmacy technicians.
The TTR was significantly better in patients managed by pharmacists than doctors (75.1% versus 67.4%, p<0.0001).
TTR was significantly better in patients managed by pharmacists compared with those managed by doctors (TTR 75.1% versus 67.4%, p<0.0001).
Additionally, the model may improve accessibility of primary healthcare physicians for patients with more severe illnesses if those with less severe conditions could be managed by pharmacists.
While few studies exist assessing health professional attitudes towards Ramadan fasting of diabetes patients, this is the first evaluation of how such patients may be managed by pharmacists within a Middle Eastern context, which is noteworthy given an estimated 20% of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims live in this region [ 10, 19- 21].
There are also important inputs from a physiotherapist and pharmacist on managing physical activity and medications.
There is growing evidence that better outcomes are achieved when anticoagulation is managed by a pharmacist with expertise in anticoagulation management rather than usual care by family physicians.
