High blood pressure is the biggest risk factor for death and disability in New Brunswick, and allowing pharmacists to play a greater role in its treatment is one of the best ways to get a handle on it, says the author of a groundbreaking study.
“Roughly 151,000 people in New Brunswick are living with hypertension, the number one risk factor for disease and premature death. We’re heading toward every third person having this silent killer,” says Dr. Ross Tsuyuki, a Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Director of the Epidemiology Coordinating and Research (EPICORE) Centre in Alberta. “There is strong evidence that allowing pharmacists to provide comprehensive care including patient education and prescribing, has the potential to offer both health benefits and substantial cost savings.”
Dr. Tsuyuki is one of the authors of a first-of-its-kind study that highlights the significant impact of pharmacist care in hypertension management. Dr. Tsuyuki and Dr. Nadia Khan, a Professor of General Internal Medicine at the University of British Columbia and the President of Hypertension Canada, were guest speakers on Tuesday at an MLA breakfast meeting in Fredericton hosted by the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association. They urged MLAs to consider the greater role pharmacists could play in caring for New Brunswickers with hypertension.
“We are not here asking you for money. We’re offering you a way to save money by looking to an often forgotten primary care resource - pharmacists,” said Dr. Khan. “The burden that hypertension has on society is enormous – in both health and economic terms. Being able to improve these numbers even slightly would result in countless lives saved. Hypertension Canada has reviewed the evidence and believes that the solution to improving hypertension care and reducing its complications lies in shared care and expanding the scope of health care professionals like pharmacists in the community.”
The peer-reviewed study looked at alternatives to usual hypertension care, including full scope pharmacist care — making full use of pharmacists’ scope of skills, including prescribing. The analysis shows a real and significant benefit from pharmacist care both in terms of cost savings and health benefits when compared to usual care. When half of the full eligible population in New Brunswick accessing care is considered over 30 years of full scope care, there would be 15,439 fewer cardiovascular events and an additional 27,024 years lived.
The study also found that if the full scope of pharmacist care were administered to half the New Brunswick population with uncontrolled hypertension over a period of 30 years - the projected cost savings would be more than $445 million dollars. In all analyses, the rates for cardiovascular disease and kidney failure are lowest with the full scope of pharmacist care and highest under the usual care regime. The results also highlight the relatively low costs of the program, particularly relative to the costs of treating cardiovascular disease or kidney failure.
The study, Cost-effectiveness of pharmacist care for managing hypertension in Canada, appears in the Canadian Pharmacists Journal and was authored by Carlo Marra, PharmD, PhD; Karissa Johnston, MSc, PhD; Valerie Santschi, PharmD, PhD; and Dr. Ross T. Tsuyuki, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, MSc, FCSHP, FACC.
Related:
- Improving health and lowering costs: Benefits of pharmacist care in hypertension in New Brunswick (Provincial Report – PDF)
- Cost-effectiveness of pharmacist care for managing hypertension in Canada (Canadian Pharmacists Journal - original research)
About the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association is the voice of pharmacists in the province and is committed to providing leadership for the profession and to improving the health of New Brunswickers. The not-for-profit Association represents the professional interests of over 830 pharmacists.
About the Canadian Pharmacists Journal
Established in 1868, the Canadian Pharmacists Journal (CPJ) is the oldest continuously published periodical in Canada. CPJ’s mission is to support pharmacists in optimizing patient care by linking knowledge to practice. CPJ is an official publication of the Canadian Pharmacists Association. CPhA advocates for pharmacists and supports its members to advance the profession and enhance patient outcomes.