Pharmaceutical Care Services for Asthma Patients: A Controlled Intervention Study

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Abstract
As asthma is associated with an enormous social, psychological, and economic burden, various patient education programs have been developed to improve outcomes, including quality of life. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of community pharmacy-based interventions on lung function, health-related quality of life, and self-management in asthma patients in a 12-month controlled intervention study in 26 intervention and 22 control pharmacies. Pharmacies opted whether to take part as intervention or control pharmacies. According to this, patients (ages 18-65) with mild to severe asthma attending the pharmacies were allocated to the intervention (n = 161) or control group (n = 81), respectively. Intervention patients were educated on their disease, pharmacotherapy, and self-management; inhalation technique was assessed and, if necessary, corrected. Pharmaceutical care led to significantly improved inhalation technique. Asthma-specific quality of life and the mental health summary score of the SF-36 improved significantly in the intervention group. At 12 months, the intervention group showed significant improvements with regard to evening peak flow, self-efficacy, and knowledge.