Significance of pharmacotherapy follow-up on diabetic patients / Incidencia del seguimiento farmacoterapéutico en pacientes diabéticos

Diabetes Mellitus is a leading cause of disability and early death in most developed countries. The present study seeks to assess the situation of diabetic patients that attend regularly two community pharmacies, determining the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among this population. In addition we planned to follow-up pharmacotherapy in these patients following the Dader program and assess the impact of the pharmacist in the patients’ condition. Methods: We characterized cross-sectionally a group of 32 diabetic patients who attend regularly two community pharmacies in the province of Seville. We then followed-up these patients’ pharmacotherapy from January 1997 to June 2001. Results: Most patients enrolled in the study were women (72%). Mean age was 69,3 (±1,5) years. Prevalence of overweight was significantly higher among females. Overall 69% of patients had both diabetes and hypertension. Three patients (11%), had been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. We identified during the follow up a total of 66 Drug Related Problems (necessity 26; effectiveness 25; and safety 15). In 32% of cases the intervention targeted the patient (57% of them were resolved) and in the rest (68%) the physician was involved (48% of them were resolved). Discussion: Diabetic patients in community pharmacy tend to be mostly elderly women. In these patients diabetes was frequently associated with hypertension. The program of pharmaceutical pharmacotherapy follow-up help in identifying and resolving an important number of drug-related problems.