Study Sheds Light On Value Of Pharmacists’ Medication Therapy Management Services For Diabetic Patients

Newswise — Patients with diabetes who received medication therapy management (MTM) services from pharmacists showed better health outcomes than patients who only were monitored for long-term blood sugar control alone.

Patients enrolled in a health maintenance organization participated in the nine-month study conducted to evaluate the effect of pharmacist-run diabetes management programs on diabetes-related health outcomes. The patients were divided into a group that received MTM services and a control group that were only monitored for long-term blood sugar control. At the study's end, the MTM group showed an average reduction of .41 points in plasma hemoglobin A1c concentration, compared to an increase of .07 for the patients who didn't undergo MTM. In addition, about 42 percent of the group with MTM was at goal A1c levels, compared to 11 percent for the other group.

The investigators also determined that during implementation of pharmacist-delivered MTM, 53 percent of the patients in that group needed additional drug therapy and 30 percent were being treated with medication doses that were too low.

Results from the study highlight the important role pharmacists play in helping patients use medications safely and effectively and particularly patients who are being treated for chronic conditions like diabetes. According to the researchers, health systems generally spend up to four times more money caring for patients with diabetes than other patients in the general population.

The study's findings help support the increasing role of proactive pharmacists, says the study's principal investigator, Lourdes G. Planas, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy in Oklahoma City. "Pharmacists are proactively teaching patients to control their diabetes when they provide MTM," Planas said. "Pharmacists are teaching them about healthy eating habits and self-monitoring of blood-sugar levels so they can be empowered to take care of their diabetes."

The study was conducted at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and supported by a grant from the ASHP Foundation.

This study and others will be presented during the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' 42nd Annual Midyear Clinical Meeting underway this week in Las Vegas. The session, "Cutting-Edge Research Highlights: Translating Research into Practice" was coordinated by the study's sponsor, the ASHP Research and Education Foundation.

For more information about the study or to arrange an interview with the authors, contact ASHP at 301-664-8799.

ABOUT ASHPFor more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, www.SafeMedication.com.

ABOUT THE FOUNDATIONThe ASHP Research and Education Foundation was established in 1968 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. The mission of the Foundation is to improve the health and well-being of patients in hospitals and health systems through appropriate, safe and effective medication use. The Foundation provides leadership and conducts education and research activities that foster the coordination of interdisciplinary medication management leading to optimal patient outcomes. Emphasis is given to programs that will have a major impact on advancing pharmacy practice in hospitals and health systems, thereby improving public health.