Pharmacy-led statin support service helps patients reach cholesterol targets

摘要

Using pharmacists to support statin-prescribing in general practice improves patients' chances of reaching their cholesterol targets and has a lasting effect on the prescribing behaviour of GPs, according to the results of a study published in PLOS ONE (online, 18 November 2014). The study, conducted in Glasgow, examined whether a pharmacist-led intervention in general practice, called the statin outreach service (SOS), could help patients reach their cholesterol targets by supporting doctors and nurses to identify cardiovascular patients who needed to be on statins and optimise simvastatin 40mg prescribing. Ten years of follow-up data have been collected since the intervention began in 2004.