The impact of pharmacists providing direct patient care as members of interprofessional teams on diabetes management

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacist providing direct patient care as a member of interprofessional team on diabetes management. This study is a retrospective chart review of diabetes patients seen by a pharmacist in an endocrinology clinic affiliated with an academic medical center. The following patient outcomes were recorded pre and post the pharmacist intervention: glycemic control as measured by change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), statin use, and use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). 144 charts were reviewed, 28 of which were included in the study. A statistically significant improvement in HbA1c was observed in patients following the pharmacist intervention. The mean pre-intervention HbA1c was 8.77% (±SD 2.48) while the post-intervention HbA1c was 7.59% (±SD 1.18), with a p-value of 0.040. A decrease in blood pressure was also observed; however, this decrease was not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in use of ACEI/ARB and statins pre- and post-intervention. The results suggest that involvement of pharmacists in direct patient care as members of interprofessional team in our specialty ambulatory care clinic is associated with a positive impact on the glycemic control in patients with diabetes.