Pharmacy interventions improve asthma outcomes

Researchers analysed 21 studies and found evidence that pharmacy interventions improve symptoms and severity of asthma.

Man with asthma using an inhaler

Pharmacists increasingly play a role in the management of chronic health conditions such as asthma. But to date there has been no systematic review of the impact of pharmacy interventions on asthma outcomes. 

Therefore, a team of international researchers reviewed results from 21 previous studies in adult asthma patients. 

They found that nine out of ten studies reporting current asthma control showed a positive impact from pharmacy interventions. Interventions were also associated with improvement of asthma severity in three studies and asthma symptoms in eight studies.  

Reporting in the European Respiratory Journal (online, 1 April 2016)[1]
, the team say the findings show that pharmacists have a positive impact on various clinical asthma outcomes. But, noting that study outcomes were heterogeneous, they say further research evaluating the impact of pharmacists’ interventions should use a standard set of indicators.

References

[1] Garcia-Cardenas V, Armour C, Benrimoj SI et al. Pharmacists’ interventions on clinical asthma outcomes: a systematic review. European Respiratory Journal 2016;47:1043–1046. doi: 10.1183/13993003.01497-2015

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, Pharmacy interventions improve asthma outcomes;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201207

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