Outcomes of Proactive Pharmaceutical Care for In-patient with Tuberculosis at a Secondary Care Hospital in Samut Sakhon Province

Abstract

Objective: To assess the outcomes of proactive pharmaceutical care for tuberculosis patients in terms of identification and resolution of drug-related problems (DRPs) and treatment outcomes compared with conventional pharmaceutical care. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 31 newly diagnosed tuberculosis inpatients, divided into study groups (n=15) and control groups (n=16). In control group, the researcher retrospectively collected data from medical records with patients receiving conventional pharmaceutical care. In the study group, a prospective study was conducted. Patients in the study group received active pharmaceutical care by identifying and resolving DRPs during their hospitalization, after discharge on day 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 or 60 by follow-up calls, and during follow up visits in the hospital up to the end of the treatment in the intensive phase. The study measured treatment outcomes at months 2 and 6. Results: More DRPs in the study group were identified compared to those in the control group (P=0.013). All DRPs in the study group were resolved and 84.9% of them were resolved in timely fashion, while those in the control group were 84.8% (P = 0.001) and 30.4% (P < 0.05), respectively. The study group kept physician appointments more than the control group did (100.0% and 81.6%, respectively, P = 0.012). The mean percentage of drug adherence in the study group was 96.46 ± 4.09. 66.7% and 86.7% of the study groups achieved treatment goals at the end of the intensive phase and at the end of the 6-month treatment, respectively, which were more than those in the control group (43.8%, P = 0.285 and 68.8%, P = 0.394, respectively).However, the differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Proactive pharmaceutical care shows better outcomes than conventional pharmaceutical care in terms of DRPs identification and resolution. Its treatment outcomes tended to be better than those in the control, even though there were no statistically significant differences. Therefore, its implementation for taking care of tuberculosis patients could be beneficial.