Impact of Community Pharmacist Interventions on T2DM Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Community pharmacists are the first point of contact for patients with chronic illness. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often communicate with community pharmacists regarding various aspects associated with the management of T2DM. One of the main roles that community pharmacists play in the management of T2DM is the improvement of self-care practices. This systematic review seeks to close this gap and provide a comprehensive input into the role of pharmacist-led interventions in the management of T2DM. This systematic review was performed using PRISMA. Seven databases, namely PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, EBSCOhost, CINAHL Plus, Medline and Web of Science Core Collection, were searched to find eligible studies. Cochrane risk-of-bias criteria were used to assess the quality of studies. A total of 20 studies were found eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. The included clinical trials were from all regions, including Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle East and the USA. Overall, randomisation was up to the mark among the included studies; however, allocation concealment, participant blinding, and blinding of outcome assessment were some of the areas where a significant risk of bias was identified. For the T2DM-specific outcome, it was observed that the involvement of pharmacists in T2DM patient education programmes can help patients manage their diabetes effectively by motivating them to lose weight, teaching them how to take their medications correctly, helping them with their nutrition and encouraging them to exercise regularly. Moreover, the T2DM-related specific outcomes, that is, medication adherence, quality of life, clinical markers and self-care, were observed to be significant when the pharmacist was part of the patient’s education process. It has been revealed that patient follow-ups on a regular basis, pharmaceutical therapy education sessions, treatment monitoring and prompt prescription refill reminders were associated with better patient satisfaction and higher standards of care. This strategy is supported by the comprehensive review’s secondary outcomes, which show that patient satisfaction and knowledge were increased by community pharmacist interventions.