Article Text
Abstract
Introduction The control rate of hypertension in the population is fair. Pharmaceutical Care is a recent approach, seeking to magnify therapeutic results.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the pharmacotherapy follow-up conducted by the Pharmacist on hypertension management.
Methods The study is a historical cohort with a dynamic population of patients referred to an outpatient hypertension clinic. Patients were followed for 12 months. Those difficult-to-control referred by the physician to pharmacotherapy follow-up were compared with patients under conventional treatment. Endpoints included blood pressure (BP) variation and the rate of control (<140/90 mm Hg). General Linear Model, modified Poisson Regression, and segmented regression were used in the data analysis.
Results Of 993 patients, 150 were referred for pharmacotherapy follow-up. Patients in the pharmacotherapy follow-up were older, with lower education level, longer diagnoses of hypertension and significantly higher levels of BP. The deltas of SBP were 7.4±1.9 vs 10.3±0.8 mm Hg (p=0.16) and diastolic 6.7±1.0 mm Hg vs 5.9±0.4 (p=0.45) for pharmacotherapy follow-up and conventional treatment groups, respectively, adjusted for initial pressure. The control rate was 45.3%, being 28.1% in the exposed and 48.6% in the unexposed (p<0.001). Comparing the BP of the same patients before and after exposure to pharmacotherapy follow-up showed a change in the trend of SBP and DBP (p<0.001).
Conclusion Hypertensive patient difficult-to-control under pharmacotherapy follow-up showed a reduction in BP similar to patients who received only conventional treatment. The study suggests that pharmacotherapy follow-up is effective in the management of selected hypertensive patients.