TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Led Telephonic Medication Therapy Management Program in Rural Arizona
T2 - Implications for Community Health Practice
AU - Axon, David R.
AU - Kloster, Jim
AU - Eckert, Becka
AU - Morales, Sonia
AU - Riggs, Sally
AU - Kilungo, Aminata
AU - Ehiri, John
AU - Grieser, Megan
AU - Turner-Warren, Tenneh
AU - Aseret-Manygoats, Teresa
AU - Bingham, Jennifer M.
AU - Scovis, Nicole
AU - Warholak, Terri
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - This study evaluated a pharmacist-led telephonic Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program for rural patients in Arizona with poor access to healthcare services. A pharmacist provided telephonic MTM services to eligible adult patients living in rural Arizona communities with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension. Data were collected and summarized descriptively for demographic and health conditions, clinical values, and medication-related problems (MRPs) at the initial consultation, and follow-up data collected at 1 and 3 months. A total of 33 patients had baseline and one-month follow-up data, while 15 patients also had three-month follow-up data. At the initial consultation, the following MRPs were identified: medication adherence issues, dose-related concerns, adverse drug events (ADE), high-risk medications, and therapeutic duplications. Recommendations were made for patients to have the influenza, herpes zoster, and pneumonia vaccines; and to initiate a statin, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, beta-blocker, and/or rescue inhaler. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that while pharmacists can identify and make clinical recommendations to patients, the value of these interventions is not fully realized due to recommendations not being implemented and difficulties with patient follow-up, which may have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional efforts to address these shortcomings are therefore required.
AB - This study evaluated a pharmacist-led telephonic Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program for rural patients in Arizona with poor access to healthcare services. A pharmacist provided telephonic MTM services to eligible adult patients living in rural Arizona communities with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension. Data were collected and summarized descriptively for demographic and health conditions, clinical values, and medication-related problems (MRPs) at the initial consultation, and follow-up data collected at 1 and 3 months. A total of 33 patients had baseline and one-month follow-up data, while 15 patients also had three-month follow-up data. At the initial consultation, the following MRPs were identified: medication adherence issues, dose-related concerns, adverse drug events (ADE), high-risk medications, and therapeutic duplications. Recommendations were made for patients to have the influenza, herpes zoster, and pneumonia vaccines; and to initiate a statin, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, beta-blocker, and/or rescue inhaler. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that while pharmacists can identify and make clinical recommendations to patients, the value of these interventions is not fully realized due to recommendations not being implemented and difficulties with patient follow-up, which may have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional efforts to address these shortcomings are therefore required.
KW - medication therapy management
KW - pharmacist
KW - rural health
KW - telehealth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147480796&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85147480796&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/clinpract12030029
DO - 10.3390/clinpract12030029
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85147480796
SN - 2039-7283
VL - 12
SP - 243
EP - 252
JO - Clinics and Practice
JF - Clinics and Practice
IS - 3
ER -