Health care partnership examined in Canadian Medical Association Journal
A research team from the Laval Centre de sant- et de services sociaux, Universit- de Montr-al and McGill University Health Centre has examined the benefits of greater collaboration between family physicians and community pharmacists for select patients. Published in the March 8 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the research project focused on patients with high levels of cholesterol who are at risk of cardiovascular disease. In all, 77 family physicians, 108 community pharmacists and 225 patients were recruited for the study.
As part of the investigation, pharmacists counseled patients about their medications, requested laboratory tests, monitored the effectiveness and safety of treatments, verified patient adherence to therapy and adjusted dosages. The collaborative care involving physicians and pharmacists had no significant impact on cholesterol control, yet the study showed an improvement in the care offered to patients. In fact, more patients receiving collaborative care reported having discussed lifestyle changes with their pharmacist and implementing such changes. What's more, their medication was adjusted more frequently according to their specific needs.
According to principal researcher, Dr. Lyne Lalonde of the professor at the Universit- de Montr-al Faculty of Pharmacy and the Laval Centre de sant- et de services sociaux, results clearly demonstrate that the quality of pharmaceutical monitoring provided to patients was exemplary. "Many patients say they received VIP treatment from their pharmacist."
"Attending pharmacists didn't only adjust medication dosages - they discussed patient lifestyle and offered professional advice," says Julie Villeneuve, project coordinator and a Universit- de Montr-al PhD graduate. "For the patient, collaborative care implies regular monitoring. For the pharmacist, it's a golden opportunity to offer expertise in pharmacotherapy. The healthcare system is suffering from widespread shortages, hence the importance of exploiting the potential of all players."
Essential collaboration:
According to co-author Dr. Eveline Hudon, a clinical professor at the Universit- de Montr-al Faculty of Medicine, Quebec will eventually have no other option than to rely on inter-professional collaboration in order to compensate for the lack of medical personnel. "We knew that collaboration between physicians and nurses was successful, and now we know that the same potential exists for physicians and pharmacists," says Hudon. "Pharmacists are open to taking on new responsibilities."