• Lyne Lalonde, Michelle Normandeau, Diane Lamarre, Anne Lord, Djamal Berbiche, Louise Corneille, Louis Prud'homme, and Marie-Claude Laliberté.
• Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. lyne.lalonde@umontreal.ca
• Pharm World Sci. 2008 Dec 1; 30 (6): 924-33.

ObjectivesTo assess the feasibility and impact of implementing ProFiL program to optimize community-pharmacist management of drug-related problems among chronic kidney disease patients followed in a predialysis clinic. The program comprises a training workshop, communication-network program and consultation service.SettingForty-two community pharmacies, 101 pharmacists, and 90 chronic kidney disease patients attending a predialysis clinic in Laval (Canada). Patients were followed-up for 6 months.MethodIn a six-month, pilot, open, cluster-randomized controlled trial, community pharmacies were assigned to ProFiL or the usual care. Chronic kidney disease patients of these pharmacies attending a predialysis clinic were recruited. ProFiL pharmacists attended a workshop, received patient information (diagnoses, medications, and laboratory-test results) and had access to a consultation service. Their knowledge and satisfaction were measured before and after the workshop. The mean numbers of pharmacists' written recommendations to physicians (pharmaceutical opinions) and refusals to dispense a medication were computed.ResultsOf the ProFiL pharmacists, 84% attended the workshop; their knowledge increased from 52% to 88% (95% CI: 29-40%). Most ProFiL pharmacists rated workshop (95%), communication program (82%) and consultation service (59%) as "excellent" or "very good"; 82% said the program improved the quality of their follow-up. The consultation service received 21 requests. ProFiL and usual care pharmacists issued a mean of 0.50 and 0.02 opinion/patient, respectively, (95% CI of the adjusted difference: 0.28-1.01 opinion/patient).ConclusionThe results of this pilot study suggest that ProFiL can be implemented and may help community pharmacists intervene more frequently to manage drug-related problems. However, a larger-scale study with longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate the impact of the program on management of drug-related problems and its clinical relevance.

29 keywords...

hide…