Impact of pharmacist-led care on glycaemic control of patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial in Nigeria

Retention in care for type 2 diabetes management in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Diabetes prevalence has risen rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa, but rates of retention in diabetes care are poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine rates of retention in care of persons with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, Global Health and CINAHL online databases for cohort studies and randomised control trials (RCTs) published up to 12 October 2021, that reported retention in or attrition from care for patients with type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Retention was defined as persons diagnosed with diabetes who were alive and in care or with a known outcome, while attrition was defined as loss from care.

RESULTS

From 6559 articles identified, after title and abstract screening, 209 articles underwent full text review. Forty six papers met the inclusion criteria, comprising 22,610 participants. Twenty one articles were of RCTs of which 8 trials had 1 year or more of follow-up and 25 articles were of non-randomised studies of which 19 had 12 months or more of follow-up. A total of 11 studies (5 RCTs and 6 non-randomised) were assessed to be of good quality. Sixteen RCTs were done in secondary or tertiary care settings. Their pooled retention rate (95% CI) was 80% (77%, 84%) in the control arm. Four RCTs had been done in primary care settings and their pooled retention rate (95% CI) was 53% (45%, 62%) in the control arm. The setting of one trial was unclear. For non-randomised studies, retention rates (95% CI) were 68% (62%, 75%) among 19 studies done in secondary and tertiary care settings, and 40% (33%, 49%) among the 6 studies done in primary care settings.

CONCLUSION

Rates of retention in care of people living with diabetes are poor in primary care research settings.

Effect of Drug Information Service on Clinical Outcome of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Padang, Indonesia

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been a health burden worldwide, including Indonesia. However, T2DM therapy needs a long and complex process, which patients often do not favor, thus making them does not take medications as instructed and negatively affecting clinical outcomes. This study aimed to understand the effect of Drug Information Service provision on the clinical outcome of T2DM patients. This quasi-experimental study was conducted using one group pre-post-test design. As the clinical outcome, the fasting blood glucose levels were measured before and after the intervention. A drug information service was provided through direct explanation to the patients. Sociodemographic data were analyzed descriptively. The difference in fasting blood glucose before and after the intervention was assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Forty patients participated in this study. Most participants are female (N=34; 85%) and receive two-drugs combination therapy of metformin and sulfonylureas (N=32; 77.5%). Although there is a decrease in mean fasting blood glucose level after intervention (174.92±59.561 vs. 184.20±49.768), there is no significant difference between fasting blood glucose levels pre-intervention and post-intervention (p>0.05). It is concluded that despite the noticeable decline of blood glucose level after drug information service, its effect on blood glucose control is not significant.

Impact of pharmacist services on economic, clinical, and humanistic outcome (ECHO) of South Asian patients: a systematic review

Background

Pharmacists in high-income countries routinely provide efficient pharmacy or pharmaceutical care services that are known to improve clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes (ECHO) of patients. However, pharmacy services in low- and middle-income countries, mainly South Asia, are still evolving and limited to providing traditional pharmacy services such as dispensing prescription medicines. This systematic review aims to assess and evaluate the impact of pharmacists’ services on the ECHO of patients in South Asian countries.

Methods

We searched PubMed/Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library for relevant articles published from inception to 20th September 2021. Original studies (only randomised controlled trials) conducted in South Asian countries (published only in the English language) and investigating the economic, clinical (therapeutic and medication safety), and humanistic impact (health-related quality of life) of pharmacists’ services, from both hospital and community settings, were included.

Results

The electronic search yielded 430 studies, of which 20 relevant ones were included in this review. Most studies were conducted in India (9/20), followed by Pakistan (6/20), Nepal (4/20) and Sri Lanka (1/20). One study showed a low risk of bias (RoB), 12 studies showed some concern, and seven studies showed a high RoB. Follow-up duration ranged from 2 to 36 months. Therapeutic outcomes such as HbA1c value and blood pressure (systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure) studied in fourteen studies were found to be reduced. Seventeen studies reported humanistic outcomes such as medication adherence, knowledge and health-related quality of life, which were found to be improved. One study reported safety and economic outcomes each. Most interventions delivered by the pharmacists were related to education and counselling of patients including disease monitoring, treatment optimisation, medication adherence, diet, nutrition, and lifestyle.

Conclusion

This systematic review suggests that pharmacists have essential roles in improving patients’ ECHO in South Asian countries via patient education and counselling; however, further rigorous studies with appropriate study design with proper randomisation of intervention and control groups are anticipated.