What a SMART Pharmacist Can Discover in Only One Day: A Public Health Initiative Focused on Diabetes in North Macedonia
Abstract
1. Introduction
1.1. New Roles of Pharmacists in Chronic Disease Management
1.2. SMART Pharmacist Program in the Republic of North Macedonia
1.3. Study Objectives
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants, Recruitment and Settings
2.2. Questionnaire
2.3. Training of the Community Pharmacists to Participate in the Study
2.4. Point-of-Care Testing in Community Pharmacy
3. Results
3.1. Overview of Demographic Data of the Participants
3.2. Subgroup Analyses
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Category | Subcategory | Number of Respondents | % of Total Surveyed Population (1085) | Diabetes Prevalence (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | Female | 706 | 65.1 | 20.4 |
Male | 379 | 34.9 | 29.8 | |
Diabetes status | Undiagnosed | 827 | 76.22 | / |
Diagnosed diabetes | 258 | 23.78 | / | |
Type of diabetes | Type 1 | 15 | 1.38 | / |
Type 2 | 226 | 20.83 | / | |
Other | 9 | 0.83 | / | |
Smoking Status | Non-smoker | 587 | 54.1 | 26.1 |
Smoker | 307 | 28.3 | 19.2 | |
Former smoker | 118 | 10.9 | 31.4 | |
Physical Activity | Not regular | 656 | 60.5 | 27 |
1–2 times per week | 150 | 13.8 | 19.3 | |
3–4 times per week | 97 | 8.9 | 15.5 | |
Daily | 182 | 16.8 | 20.3 | |
Diet | Balanced (moderate) | 310 | 28.6 | 26.1 |
High in sugars | 47 | 4.3 | 14.9 | |
Vegetarian | 11 | 1 | * | |
Traditional for the region | 692 | 63.8 | 23.4 | |
Macrobiotic | 3 | 0.3 | * | |
Vegan | 3 | 0.3 | * | |
Other | 19 | 1.8 | * | |
Chronic diseases except diabetes | No chronic disease | 391 | 36 | 8.7 |
Chronic disease | 694 | 64 | 32.5 | |
Types of chronic disease excluding diabetes | High blood pressure | 456 | 42.0 | 38.4 |
Cardiovascular disease | 195 | 18.0 | 39.5 | |
Other | 132 | 12.2 | 26.5 | |
Obesity | 54 | 5.0 | 37 | |
Dyslipidemia | 168 | 15.5 | 10.7 | |
Liver disease | 18 | 1.7 | * | |
Inflammatory diseases | 32 | 2.9 | * | |
Polycystic ovary syndrome | 6 | 0.6 | * | |
Kidney disease | 6 | 0.6 | * | |
Sleep apnea | 8 | 0.7 | * | |
BMI categories | Underweight | 10 | 0.9 | 20 |
Normal | 246 | 22.7 | 15 | |
Pre-obese | 290 | 26.7 | 26.6 | |
Obese category I | 157 | 14.5 | 33.3 | |
Obese category II | 37 | 3.4 | 25.6 | |
Obese category III | 7 | 0.65 | 42.9 | |
Blood glucose measurement timing | Fasting | 375 | 34.6 | / |
Postprandial (>2 h) | 467 | 43 | / | |
Postprandial (<30 min) | 242 | 22.3 | / |
Statistics (n = 1085) | Chi-Squared Value | Chi-Squared p-Value | Odds Ratio (95% CI) | Phi-Coefficient Value | Cramer’s V Value | Uncertainty Coefficient/Tau |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gender vs. Diabetes status | 12.756 | <0.001 | 1.679 (1.262–2.234) | 0.108 | 0.108 | / |
Physical activity vs. Diabetes status | 10.234 | 0.017 | / | 0.097 | 0.097 | 0.006 (p = 0.004) |
BMI vs. Diabetes status | 21.171 | 0.002 | / | 0.139 | 0.139 | 0.018 (p = 0.002) |
Smoking status vs. Diabetes status | 14.234 | 0.003 | / | 0.115 | 0.115 | 0.013 (p = 0.003) |
Chronic disease vs. Diabetes status | 79.499 | <0.001 | 5.058 (3.453–7.341) | 0.271 | 0.271 | 0.068 (p < 0.001) |
Diet vs. Diabetes status | 7.099 | 0.312 | / | 0.081 | 0.081 | / |
Measurement | Defined Glucose Range (mmol/L) | Number of Patients | Observed Range | Category |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fasting (295 patients) | <3.9 | 10 | 2–3.8 | Hypoglycemia |
3.9–5.6 | 143 | 3.9–5.6 | Normal | |
5.7–6.9 | 114 | 5.7–6.9 | Prediabetes | |
≥7 | 28 | 7–14.3 | Diabetic | |
2 h postprandial (351 patients) | ≤7.8 | 312 | 3.1–7.8 | Normal |
7.9–11 | 33 | 7.9–10.7 | Prediabetes | |
≥11.1 | 6 | 11.1–17.4 | Diabetic | |
30 min postprandial (random check, 180 patients) | ≥11.1 | 1 | 12.9 | Diabetic |
Measurement | Defined Glucose Range (mmol/L) | Number of Patients | Observed Range | Category |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fasting (80 patients) | <4.4 | 1 | 4.2 | Hypoglycemia |
4.4–7.2 | 42 | 4.9–7.2 | Well-controlled | |
>7.2 | 37 | 7.3–17 | Not controlled | |
2 h postprandial (116 patients) | <4.4 | 2 | 3.3–4.3 | Hypoglycemia |
4.4–10 | 68 | 4.9–9.9 | Well-controlled | |
>10 | 46 | 10.1–33.33 | Not controlled | |
30 min postprandial (62 patients) | ≤10 | 37 | 5.1–9.9 | Well-controlled |
>10 | 25 | 10.2–21.6 | Not controlled |
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Stavrova, V.; Simonoska Crcarevska, M.; Naumovska, Z.; Bozhinovska, B.; Andonoska, J.; Stavric, K.; Maksimova, V.; Meštrović, A.; Rouse, M.J. What a SMART Pharmacist Can Discover in Only One Day: A Public Health Initiative Focused on Diabetes in North Macedonia. Healthcare 2025, 13, 2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172107
Stavrova V, Simonoska Crcarevska M, Naumovska Z, Bozhinovska B, Andonoska J, Stavric K, Maksimova V, Meštrović A, Rouse MJ. What a SMART Pharmacist Can Discover in Only One Day: A Public Health Initiative Focused on Diabetes in North Macedonia. Healthcare. 2025; 13(17):2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172107
Chicago/Turabian StyleStavrova, Vesna, Maja Simonoska Crcarevska, Zorica Naumovska, Biljana Bozhinovska, Joana Andonoska, Katarina Stavric, Viktorija Maksimova, Arijana Meštrović, and Michael John Rouse. 2025. "What a SMART Pharmacist Can Discover in Only One Day: A Public Health Initiative Focused on Diabetes in North Macedonia" Healthcare 13, no. 17: 2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172107
APA StyleStavrova, V., Simonoska Crcarevska, M., Naumovska, Z., Bozhinovska, B., Andonoska, J., Stavric, K., Maksimova, V., Meštrović, A., & Rouse, M. J. (2025). What a SMART Pharmacist Can Discover in Only One Day: A Public Health Initiative Focused on Diabetes in North Macedonia. Healthcare, 13(17), 2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172107