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The World Health Organization estimates that 347 million people worldwide have diabetes, making it a chronic disease of epidemic proportions. (1) In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [...]

Poor self-care is prevalent in patients with heart failure and adversely affects heart failure symptoms, hospitalization, and mortality. Adherence rates to different types of self-care vary in patients with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with medication adherence, dietary sodium adherence, and symptom management in patients with heart failure. Data were collected using questionnaires, Medication Electronic Monitoring System, and 24-hour urine sodium output (N = 94). In logistic regression analysis, social support, education level, and race were associated with medication adherence (p =.002). Gender, race, perceived control, and depressive symptoms were associated with dietary sodium adherence (p =.030). Gender, education level, and depressive symptoms were associated with symptom management (p =.006). Different factors were associated with each type of self-care. Thus, clinicians need to manage each type of self-care by considering factors associated with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize and quantify the types of interventions made by an ambulatory care pharmacy team (ACPT), evaluate the financial impact of such interventions, and create a cost template for the interventions using the health system's intervention documentation system. Summary We conducted a retrospective, single-center cohort study covering the period from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020. Eligible participants included patients aged 18 years or older who had an appointment at the ambulatory care clinic and received a pharmacy consult. Most patients were uninsured. Data collected included intervention types, specific interventions, the economic impact per intervention, the average cost avoidance per intervention, the total economic impact, and the total cost avoidance. The ACPT documented a total of 1,334 interventions during the 2-year study period. The 4 major categories of interventions included patient counseling, drug utilization review, medication therapy management, and drug information. Each category was further subdivided into subcategories, for a total of 18 distinct subcategories. The economic impact per intervention was approximately $30. The average cost avoidance was estimated to be $357.62 per intervention, with a total economic impact of $40,020 and cost avoidance of $477,065 for the study period. Conclusion Pharmacist interventions resulted in a significant amount of economic impact and cost avoidance for the health system. Using the data from the study, we created a cost estimate to indicate the value of each ambulatory care intervention by using the health system's intervention documentation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]