Klin Farmakol Farm. 2005;19(4):206-210

THERAPY MONITORING OF ASTHMA PATIENTS IN THE PHARMACY

Božena Macešková, Daniela Fridrichová

Ústav aplikované farmacie, Farmaceutická fakulta VFU, Brno

The therapy of 16 patients with asthma was monitored within an 8-month period during which the patiens were visiting the same pharmacy. Their medication problems, imperfection in the inhalation technique, and manifestations and reasons of non-compliance were identified in the course of four sessions. The changes in their understanding of the illness and objective changes in their health condition were detected using semistructured interviews. Mistakes in the use of different types of inhalators were minimized, and a training in cleaning the inhalators and in finding out the number of the remaining doses was provided. Eight patients (50.0 %) were feeling subjectively better at the end of the monitoring, 12 (75.0 %) found the education provided by a pharmacist to be useful. Compliance with the prescribed medication was improved in all the three monitored aspects. The patients have a continuing interest in receiving advice from the pharmacist. The lack of time and privacy in pharmacies are seen as major obstacles by the patients. The physicians of 9 of the participating patients found an improvement in the inhalation technique in 6 patients (66.7 %) and an improvement in the knowledge about the illness in 7 patients (77.8 %). Asthma is an example of an illness in which the pharmacist can contribute to the optimization of the therapy and to a better quality of outcomes.

Keywords: Key words: therapy monitoring, asthma, pharmacy, physician, pharmacist.

Published: January 1, 2006  Show citation