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Objective: To assess the impact of an intervention initiated by community pharmacists, involving the provision of educational material and general practitioner (GP) referral, on asthma knowledge and self-reported asthma control and asthma-related quality of life (QOL) in patients who may have suboptimal management of their asthma, as evidenced by pharmacy dispensing records. Setting: Community pharmacies throughout Tasmania, Australia. Methods: Forty-two pharmacies installed a software application that data mined dispensing records and generated a list of patients with suboptimal asthma management, as indicated by having three or more canisters of inhaled short-acting beta-2-agonists dispensed in the preceding 6 months. Identified patients were randomised to an intervention or control group. At baseline, intervention patients were mailed intervention packs consisting of a letter encouraging them to see their GP for a review, educational material, asthma knowledge, asthma control and asthma-related QOL questionnaires, and a letter with a dispensing history to give to their GP. Pharmacists were blinded to the control patients' identities for 6 months, after which time intervention patients were sent repeat questionnaires, and control patients were sent intervention packs. Main outcome measures: Asthma knowledge, asthma control and asthma-related QOL scores. Results: Thirty-five pharmacies completed the study, providing 706 intervention and 427 control patients who were eligible to receive intervention packs. Intervention patients' asthma control and asthma-related QOL scores at 6 months were significantly higher compared to the control patients (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively) and to the intervention patients' baseline scores (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Symptom-related QOL was significantly higher compared to the control patients (P < 0.01) and activities-related QOL significantly improved compared to baseline (P < 0.05). No significant change was observed in asthma knowledge. Conclusion: The results suggest that community pharmacists are ideally placed to identify patients with suboptimal asthma management and refer such patients for a review by their GP. This type of collaborative intervention can significantly improve self-reported asthma control and asthma-related QOL in patients identified as having suboptimal management of their asthma. A larger trial is needed to confirm the effects are real and sustained. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	asthma, pharmacy
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Public health
Research Field:	Preventative health care
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public health (excl. specific population health)
Objective Field:	Preventive medicine
UTAS Author:	Bereznicki, BJ (Dr Bonnie Bereznicki)
UTAS Author:	Peterson, GM (Professor Gregory Peterson)
UTAS Author:	Jackson, SL (Dr Shane Jackson)
UTAS Author:	Walters, EH (Professor Haydn Walters)
UTAS Author:	Fitzmaurice, KD (Ms Kimbra Fitzmaurice)
UTAS Author:	Gee, PR (Mr Peter Gee)
ID Code:	53175
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	20
Deposited By:	Pharmacy
Deposited On:	2008-11-07
Last Modified:	2011-04-15
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