Preventive Care in Type 2 Diabetes: Results of a Randomized, Controlled Trial in Community Pharmacies

The number of patients with diabetes is expected to increase by 51% worldwide within the next 25 years, with diabetes complications resulting in high health costs (1). Consequently, comprehensive diabetes care is essential to control disease progression. Pharmacists are able to contribute to diabetes care in different settings (2,3). However, large randomized controlled trials for community pharmacists are rare. Therefore, GLICEMIA 2.0 was developed to examine whether intensive pharmacist-delivered care in community pharmacies can effectively improve glycemic control and reduce risk for complications. GLICEMIA 2.0 was a multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial in 26 German pharmacies randomly assigned to the control or intervention group. Pharmacists from each center were trained prior to the start of the trial for 1 day regarding how to conduct the study. Pharmacists of the intervention group received an additional day of training that included medication analysis and counseling of behavioral changes. The Freiburg Ethics Commission International, Freiburg, Germany, approved the trial (016/1826). Eligible participants had type 2 diabetes, BMI of at least 25 kg/m2, and HbA1c ≥7% (53 mmol/mol). Data were collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. The assessment included HbA1c (point of care; Abbott Afinion AS 100 Analyzer), fasting blood glucose, weight, and blood pressure. Pharmacists supported the participants of the intervention group for 1 year in a protocol-defined lifestyle change …