Rana Rasheed Farrag^*, Mamdouh Ahmed Zaki, Taher El-Naggar, Manal El-Hamamsy

Show more
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahram Canadian University (ACU), 6th of October City, Egypt.
Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University (ASU), Cairo, Egypt.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University (ASU), Cairo, Egypt.
Show less

Abstract: Aim of the Study: To compare effect of asthma care by pharmacist intervention versus routine care on asthma control. Patients and Methods: A 2-month randomised, controlled trial was conducted in outpatient clinics of Ain Shams University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt. Patients were randomly assigned to receive routine care or a pre-defined pharmacist intervention. This intervention was mainly focused on patient education, improving inhalation technique and medication assessment. Primary outcome was the level of asthma control, as assessed by the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ). Results: By the end of the study, intervention patients who received a written action plan significantly improved their ACQ results than routine care group who did not receive a plan (p < 0.0001). Inhalation technique and adherence to controller medication were significantly better in the intervention group. Conclusion: The present study results provide supportive evidence concerning pharmacists’ favourable effects on asthma patient care and support pharmacists as valuable members of the health care team.

Keywords: Asthma Control Questionnaire, Asthma Action Plan, Patient Education, Adherence, Inhalation Technique

Cite this paper: Farrag, R. , Zaki, M. , El-Naggar, T. and El-Hamamsy, M. (2014) Asthma Patient Care: The Pharmacist’s Perspective. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 5, 551-559. doi: 10.4236/pp.2014.56065.

References

[1]   Lougheed, M., Lemiere, C., Dell, S. and Ducharme, F.J. (2010) Canadian Thoracic Society Asthma Management Continuum—2010 Consensus Summary for Children 6 Years and over and Adults. Canadian Respiratory Journal, 17, 15-30.

[2]   Anandan, C., Nurmatov, U., VanSchayck, O. and Sheikh, A. (2010) Is the Prevalence of Asthma Declining? Systematic Review of Epidemiological Studies. Allergy, 65, 152-167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2009.02244.x

[3]   World Health Organization (2011) WHO Media Center, Asthma Fact Sheet No. 307.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs307/en/#

[4]   Rabe, K., Adachi, M., Lai, C., Soriano, J., Vermeire, P., Weiss, K., et al. (2004) Worldwide Severity and Control of Asthma in Children and Adults: The Global Asthma Insights and Reality Surveys. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 114, 40-47.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2004.04.042

[5]   Mehuys, E., Van Bortel, L., De Bolle, L., Van Tongelen, I., Annemans, L.R. and Brusselle, G. (2008) Effectiveness of Pharmacist Intervention for Asthma Control Improvement. European Respiratory Journal, 31, 790-799.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00112007

[6]   Salama, A., Mohamed, A., El-okda, E. and Said, R. (2010) Quality of Care of Egyptian Asthmatic Children: Clinicians Adherence to Asthma Guidelines. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 36, 33.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1824-7288-36-33

[7]   Global Initiative for Asthma (2012) Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention.
http://www.ginasthma.org/local/uploads/files/GINA_Report_March13.pdf

[8]   National Institute of Health; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (2007) Expet Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/

[9]   Bateman, E., Reddel, H., Eriksson, G., Peterson, S., Ostlund, O., Sears, M., et al. (2010) Overall Asthma Control: The Relationship between Current Control and Future Risk. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 125, 600-608.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2009.11.033

[10]   Bai, T., Vonk, J., Postma, D. and Boezen, H. (2007) Severe Exacerbations Predict Excess Lung Function Decline in Asthma. European Respiratory Journal, 30, 452-456.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00165106

[11]   Boulet, L. (2011) Asthma Control, Education, and the Role of the Respiratory Therapist. Canadian Journal of Respiratory Therapy, 47, 15-20.

[12]   Laforest, L., VanGanse, E., Devouassoux, G. B., Chretin, S., Baguail, G., Pacheco, Y., et al. (2006) Influence of Patients’ Characteristics and Disease Management on Asthma Control. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 117, 1404-1410.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2006.03.007

[13]   Balter, M., Bell, A., Kaplen, A., Kim, H. and McIvor, R. (2009) Management of Asthma in Adults. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 181, 915-922.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.080007

[14]   British Thoracic Society and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (2012) British Guideline on the Management of Asthma.
http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/Portals/0/Guidelines/AsthmaGuidelines/sign101%20Jan%202012.pdf

[15]   World Medical Association General Assembly. WMA Declaration of Helsinki—Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.
http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/

[16]   Juniper, E.F., O’byrne, P.M., Guyatt, G.H., Ferrie, P.J. and King, D.R. (1999) Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Asthma Control. The European Respiratory Journal, 14, 902-907.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1399-3003.1999.14d29.x

[17]   Sveum, R., Bergstrom, J., Brottman, G., Hanson, M., Heiman, M., Johns, K., et al. (2012) Diagnosis and Management of Asthma.
https://www.icsi.org/guidelines__more/catalog_guidelines_
and_more/catalog_guidelines/catalog_respiratory_guidelines/asthma/

[18]   Charrois, T.L., Newman, S.C., Senthilselvan, A. and Tsuyuki, R.T. (2006) Improving Asthma Control in the Rural Setting: The BREATHE (Better Respiratory Education and Asthma Treatment in Hinton and Edson) Study. Canadian Pharmacist Journal, 139, 44-50.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/171516350613900410

[19]   Armour, C.L., Reddel, H.K., LeMay, K.S., Saini, B., Smith, L.D., Bosnic-Anticevich, S.Z., et al. (2013) Feasibility and Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Asthma Service in Australian Community Pharmacies: A Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Trial. Journal of Asthma, 50, 302-309.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02770903.2012.754463

[20]   Wilson, S., Strub, P., Buist, A., Knowles, S., Lavori, P., Lapidus, J., et al. (2010) Shared Treatment Decision Making Improves Adherence and Outcomes in Poorly Controlled Asthma. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 181, 566-577.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1164/rccm.200906-0907OC

[21]   Gibson, P.G., Ram, F.S. and Powell, H. (2003) Asthma Education. Respiratory Medicine, 97, 1036-1044.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0954-6111(03)00134-3