The effect of clinical pharmacy services on patients with essential hypertension

The effect of clinical services provided by a pharmacist to 25 study patients with essential hypertension was evaluated and compared to the course followed by 25 control hypertensive patients not receiving these services. Results show a significant improvement ( P < 0.001) in the study patients' knowledge of hypertension and its treatment, a significant increase ( P < 0.001) in the number of study patients who complied with prescribed therapy, and a significant increase ( P < 0.001) in the number of study patients whose blood pressures were kept within the normal range during the study period. Most of these study patients had been hypertensive and noncompliant before, and they reverted to this status after the study period. The 25 control patients were hypertensive and noncompliant before, during, and after the study period. Fifty-nine incidents of suspected adverse reactions to antihypertensive drugs were identified in the study patients, occurring more frequently in those patients who were noncompliant, hypertensive, or taking progressively larger numbers of antihypertensive drugs. Patients were receptive to this service and kept appointments with the pharmacist investigator 92% of the time. The services provided which may have contributed to the success of treatment are discussed. It is concluded that pharmacy clinical services are beneficial and that pharmacists should become more involved in the long term care given hypertensive patients.