ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of clinical pharmacists embedded in primary care at a military facility by reviewing laboratory assessments following pharmacist management of referred patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia. METHODS: Electronic medical records of patients who were referred to clinical pharmacists for control of diabetes and/or hyperlipidemia were reviewed for those with at least two encounters during a 6-month period with baseline and follow-up laboratory assessments. As appropriate to patient diagnoses, glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TGs), and body mass index (BMI) were included in assessments. Paired t tests were used to determine the statistical significance of mean changes between the beginning and end of the 6-month period. RESULTS: In the cohort of patients with diabetes (n = 46), mean A1C decrease over 6 months was 0.9 points (P = 0.004). In the cohort of patients with hyperlipidemia (n = 15), mean LDL-C decrease was 20 mg/dL (P = 0.004). Changes in mean LDL-C, TGs, and BMIs were observed in each group but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Although small sample sizes limited statistical power in this analysis, results suggest that referral of ambulatory patients to a clinical pharmacist in a military medical home for diabetes and/or hyperlipidemia improved care management.
