Patients who are classified as non-adherent will be randomised and allocated into two groups: the control group and the intervention group. The targeted sample size is 250 patients, with 125 in each of the groups. An estimated number of 84 pharmacists and 42 pharmacies will participate in this intervention. All the participating community pharmacists will receive baseline training from teaching practitioner pharmacists. They will attend one 2-hour session of problem-based learning in a group setting using role plays and case studies. Mentoring and support will be provided via email or telephone. Pharmacists will be taught to use the BP monitor and receive information on basic counselling. The basic information about the drugs that the pharmacists
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A journal published by Journal of General Internal Medicine suggests that interventions with the duration of three months or more have achieved significantly better results than those that last for less than three months 19. A 9-month intervention programme conducted in Canada in 2003 also yielded positive outcomes 20. Hence, the duration of nine months seems appropriate. The materials needed for the intervention include: questionnaire before and after the intervention, BP monitors, BP recording booklets, information leaflets about hypertension and the drugs, and the feedback form for the …show more content…
The most debatable issue is related to the delay of treatment for patients in the control group. If the intervention is proven to be successful, then the treatments for the patients who did not receive the intervention would be delayed for at least nine months. As a result, these patients may develop complications, and in the worst case scenario, hospitalisation or death. The intervention also fails to address patient needs as the BCTs are not tailored for each individual due to time and resources constraints. Some of the patients might need more than 4 BCTs, or they might need BCTs that are not included in the intervention. On the other hand, the intervention is designed for patients living in the urban area, and it fails to address the needs of patients living in rural areas. Patient involvement during the intervention can be improved to include more shared-decision making. The sample size might not be achievable due to the lack of participating patients and pharmacists. There might also be a potential imbalance during the randomisation of participants. There is also a risk of cross contamination of information between patients in the control group and in the intervention group. There is a possibility of patients in the control group receiving additional information from patients in the intervention group, and therefore, the results might not be accurate. Lastly, pharmacists might be hesitant
A journal published by Journal of General Internal Medicine suggests that interventions with the duration of three months or more have achieved significantly better results than those that last for less than three months 19. A 9-month intervention programme conducted in Canada in 2003 also yielded positive outcomes 20. Hence, the duration of nine months seems appropriate. The materials needed for the intervention include: questionnaire before and after the intervention, BP monitors, BP recording booklets, information leaflets about hypertension and the drugs, and the feedback form for the …show more content…
The most debatable issue is related to the delay of treatment for patients in the control group. If the intervention is proven to be successful, then the treatments for the patients who did not receive the intervention would be delayed for at least nine months. As a result, these patients may develop complications, and in the worst case scenario, hospitalisation or death. The intervention also fails to address patient needs as the BCTs are not tailored for each individual due to time and resources constraints. Some of the patients might need more than 4 BCTs, or they might need BCTs that are not included in the intervention. On the other hand, the intervention is designed for patients living in the urban area, and it fails to address the needs of patients living in rural areas. Patient involvement during the intervention can be improved to include more shared-decision making. The sample size might not be achievable due to the lack of participating patients and pharmacists. There might also be a potential imbalance during the randomisation of participants. There is also a risk of cross contamination of information between patients in the control group and in the intervention group. There is a possibility of patients in the control group receiving additional information from patients in the intervention group, and therefore, the results might not be accurate. Lastly, pharmacists might be hesitant