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Benefits of Individualized Counseling by the Pharmacist on the Treatment Outcomes of Hyperlipidemia in Hong Kong

From Pharmacy Department, Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital, Hong Kong (Ms. Lee); School of Pharmacy, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Dr. Cheung); and School of Pharmacy, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Dr. Chow).

A prospective controlled study on the benefits of pharmacists' individualized counseling on drug compliance, cholesterol concentration reduction, attainment of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals, and patient satisfaction was carried out in a private community hospital in Hong Kong. All patients who were newly prescribed with lipid-lowering drugs for primary prevention were included. The patients in the individualized counseling group received "intense" counseling and follow-up of cholesterol concentration by a pharmacist for 3 months. The control group received routine counseling. Fifty patients completed the study (26 in the individualized group, 24 in the control group). Compliance was assessed, and those patients who achieved 75% compliance were defined as compliers. In the individualized group, 76.9% were compliers compared with 41.7% in the control group (p < 0.01). The individualized group achieved 28.3%, 27.7%, and 26.1% reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-C, and triglycerides, respectively, compared with 15.3%, 16.3%, and 10.6% in the control group (p < 0.05 for all). Also in the individualized group, 80.8% achieved the ATP III LDL-C goals compared to 58.3% in the control group (p < 0.05). Of patients in the individualized group, 85% felt that the pharmacist counseling service could improve their disease management. The study demonstrated that pharmacists' individualized counseling, together with the assessment of cholesterol concentrations, had positive impacts on the management of hyperlipidemia, including improved drug compliance, better treatment endpoints, and patient satisfaction.

Key Words: Individualized counseling • pharmacists • hyperlipidemia • cardiovascular disease • drug compliance

Address for reprints: Moses Sing Sum Chow, School of Pharmacy, 6/F, Choh Ming Li Basic Medical Sciences Building, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong.

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