Study on Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Care on Quality of Life in Hypertensive Patients

Hypertension is reported to be the fourth contributor to premature death in developed countries and the seventh in developing countries. Pharmaceutical care can improve outcome, reduce cost of treatment and an effective approach in improving adherence to long term therapies. The aim of measuring quality of life is to provide information about well being of population and it has been a fundamental research topic in health, as its results are important to assess the effectiveness of health care. The objectives of the present study were to study the effect of pharmaceutical care on quality of life in hypertensive patients, to assess the adherence pattern among the hypertensive patients, to evaluate the outcome of patient education in hypertensive patients. A prospective study was carried out in a tertiary care multidisciplinary hospital for 15 months. The patients were grouped into 2 as intervention and usual care groups. Female patients were predominant and the mean age group was 51-60 years in both groups. Blood pressure and quality of life measured before implementation of pharmaceutical care and at the end served as main outcome measures. BPreadings and quality of life scores were showed an improvement at the end of the study. The study confirmed improvement in medication adherence, which in turn has a positive impact on treatment outcomes and Quality of Life of hypertensive patients. The study emphasized the potential role of the pharmacist, as a patient educator, in the long term management of hypertensive patients.