Impact of Pharmacist Intervention on Diabetes Patients in an Ambulatory Setting

Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.¹ More than 20 million people in the United States have diabetes, and of those > 60 years of age, one in five has the disease.¹

Sixty-five percent of patients with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Thirty percent of those > 40 years of age have impaired sensation in their feet; 60% of all nontraumatic amputations are attributed to diabetes.¹ Diabetes is also the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of all new cases in 2002.¹

To help prevent long-term complications and deaths related to diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) publishes an annual position statement titled Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes to provide up-to-date guidelines for the management of diabetes.² The care of diabetes patients is multifaceted and often requires special attention to achieve optimum results. A1C testing is considered the gold standard measurement for diabetes control.

Previous studies have measured A1C values in patients before and after seeing a pharmacist.^3-7 The current study assessed A1C changes resulting from seeing a pharmacist and then compared them to changes that result from usual care to find out whether pharmacist care results in any additional benefit.