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Pharmacy
Special Issues
Pharmacists’ Role in Improving Medication Use and Health Outcomes
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Pharmacists’ Role in Improving Medication Use and Health Outcomes

A special issue of Pharmacy (ISSN 2226-4787).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2017) | Viewed by 13575

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Karen B. Farris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, 428 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Interests: medication adherence; pharmacist’s roles in primary care; technologic support for medication use
Dr. Antoinette B. Coe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, 428 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Interests: transitions of care; pharmacist’s role in primary care; interprofessional care and education; health disparities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Numerous studies have shown that medication use can be improved by considering the effectiveness, safety and cost of prescribed medications as well as patient adherence to those medications. Evidence also shows that pharmacists can improve clinical outcomes in chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, with the preponderance of evidence in primary care settings. We seek to expand this general knowledge.

This Special Issue explores pharmacists’ roles in improving medication use and health outcomes among older adults. We welcome articles examining: pharmacists’ practice in innovative settings or models and their impact on medication and health-related outcomes; pharmacists’ interventions in care transitions to improve medication management and care coordination; and pharmacists’ roles in the primary care setting. We are particularly interested in pilot studies with evidence from newer and/or different therapeutic areas or applications/evidence supporting health outcomes or large, well-designed studies where pharmacists’ care improved outcomes.

We hope to receive your submission by early December 2016, but submissions will be accepted in an on-going manner through 31 January 2017. As Pharmacy is an electronic journal, papers will be published online immediately after they are accepted after peer review. All papers will be collected on a home page focused on this topic. Please review other Special Issues in Pharmacy at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmacy/special_issues.

Sincerely,

Karen B. Farris
Antoinette B. Coe
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmacy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Older adults
  • Pharmacist roles
  • Medication use
  • Care transitions
  • Ambulatory care
  • Clinical outcomes
  • Patient perceptions
  • Provider perceptions

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

633 KiB  
Article
Introducing Pharmaceutical Care to Primary Care in Iceland—An Action Research Study
by Anna Bryndis Blondal, Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong and Anna Birna Almarsdottir
Pharmacy 2017, 5(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5020023 - 26 Apr 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 8449
Abstract
Even though pharmaceutical care is not a new concept in pharmacy, its introduction and development has proved to be challenging. In Iceland, general practitioners are not familiar with pharmaceutical care and additionally no such service is offered in pharmacies or primary care settings. [...] Read more.
Even though pharmaceutical care is not a new concept in pharmacy, its introduction and development has proved to be challenging. In Iceland, general practitioners are not familiar with pharmaceutical care and additionally no such service is offered in pharmacies or primary care settings. Introducing pharmaceutical care in primary care in Iceland is making great efforts to follow other countries, which are bringing the pharmacist more into patient care. General practitioners are key stakeholders in this endeavor. The aim of this study was to introduce pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care into primary care clinics in Iceland in collaboration with general practitioners by presenting different setting structures. Action research provided the framework for this research. Data was collected from pharmaceutical care interventions, whereby the pharmaceutical care practitioner ensures that each of a patient’s medications is assessed to determine if it is appropriate, effective, safe, and that the patient can take medicine as expected. Sources of data included pharmaceutical care notes on patients, researcher’s notes, meetings, and interviews with general practitioners over the period of the study. The study ran from September 2013 to October 2015. Three separate semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with five general practitioners from one primary health care clinic in Iceland at different time points throughout the study. Pharmaceutical care was provided to elderly patients (n = 125) before and between general practitioners’ interviews. The study setting was a primary care clinic in the Reykjavik area and the patients’ homes. Results showed that the GPs’ knowledge about pharmacist competencies as healthcare providers and their potential in patient care increased. GPs would now like to have access to a pharmacist on a daily basis. Direct contact between the pharmacist and GPs is better when working in the same physical space. Pharmacist’s access to medical records is necessary for optimal service. Pharmacist-led clinical service was deemed most needed in dose dispensing polypharmacy patients. This research indicated that it was essential to introduce Icelandic GPs to the potential contribution of pharmacists in patient care and that action research was a useful methodology to promote and develop a relationship between those two health care providers in primary care in Iceland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacists’ Role in Improving Medication Use and Health Outcomes)
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814 KiB  
Article
Quality of Life and Medication Adherence of Independently Living Older Adults Enrolled in a Pharmacist-Based Medication Management Program
by Christopher Harlow, Catherine Hanna, Lynne Eckmann, Yevgeniya Gokun, Faika Zanjani, Karen Blumenschein and Holly Divine
Pharmacy 2017, 5(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5020020 - 6 Apr 2017
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4591
Abstract
This study sought to understand the medication adherence and quality of life (QOL) of recipients of a pharmacist-based medication management program among independently living older adults. Using a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study design, we compared older adults enrolled in the program to older adults [...] Read more.
This study sought to understand the medication adherence and quality of life (QOL) of recipients of a pharmacist-based medication management program among independently living older adults. Using a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study design, we compared older adults enrolled in the program to older adults not enrolled in the program. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews in independent-living facilities and in participants’ homes. Independently living older adults who were enrolled in the medication management program (n = 38) were compared to older adults not enrolled in the program (control group (n = 41)). All participants were asked to complete questionnaires on health-related quality of life (QOL, using the SF-36) and medication adherence (using the four-item Morisky scale). The medication management program recipients reported significantly more prescribed medications (p < 0.0001) and were more likely to report living alone (p = 0.01) than the control group. The medication management program recipients had a significantly lower SF-36 physical functioning score (p = 0.03) compared to the control group, although other SF-36 domains and self-reported medication adherence were similar between the groups. Despite taking more medications and more commonly living alone, independent living older adults enrolled in a pharmacist-based medication management program had similar QOL and self-reported medication adherence when compared to older adults not enrolled in the program. This study provides initial evidence for the characteristics of older adults receiving a pharmacist-based medication management program, which may contribute to prolonged independent living and positive health outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacists’ Role in Improving Medication Use and Health Outcomes)
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