Doctor-pharmacist collaboration needed

MONTREAL, March 12 (UPI) -- Improved doctor-pharmacist collaboration is needed in Canada, a team of Montreal researchers said.

Study co-author Dr. Eveline Hudon of the University of Montreal Faculty of Medicine and colleagues predicted health providers will have no other option than to rely on inter-professional collaboration in order to compensate for the lack of medical personnel.

"We knew that collaboration between physicians and nurses was successful, and now we know that the same potential exists for physicians and pharmacists," Hudon said in a statement. "Pharmacists are open to taking on new responsibilities."

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, focused on patients with high levels of cholesterol and at risk of cardiovascular disease. In all, 77 family physicians, 108 community pharmacists and 225 patients were recruited for the study.

Hudon and colleagues found the pharmacists counseled patients about their medications, requested laboratory tests, monitored effectiveness and safety of treatments, adjusted dosages and verified patient adherence.

The collaborative care involving physicians and pharmacists had no significant impact on cholesterol control, the study said.

However, there were improvements in care. For instance, patients in collaborative care discussed lifestyle changes with their pharmacist and implemented changes.