REVIEW ON THE ROLE OF THE PHARMACIST IN THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

At any age, including in childhood, there are a variety of risk factors that might lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD). You can put off or even stop the onset of cardiovascular disease risk factors by adopting a healthy lifestyle. By assisting with patient education and counseling, managing drug safety, reviewing, monitoring, and reconciling medications, identifying and controlling specific cardiovascular risk factors (such as blood pressure, blood glucose, and serum lipids), and clinical outcomes, pharmacists may play an important role in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Research has shown that when pharmacists are involved, patients with heart failure have better management of their hypertension, dyslipidaemia, or diabetes, are more likely to quit smoking, and have fewer hospitalizations. Economic and humanistic outcomes (such as patient happiness, adherence, and knowledge) have scant evidence of efficacy. It would appear that the most contemporary and effective method of providing healthcare is through a multidisciplinary strategy that incorporates medical expertise with that of a pharmacist, specialty nurse, or both, with a stronger emphasis on community pharmacists as opposed to hospital pharmacists. If we want to know how collaborative practice affects cardiovascular disease and how pharmacists may help reduce it, we need more studies that are both quantitative and qualitative. The sensitivity to the intervention of community pharmacists should be the primary focus of such study. It is reasonable to assume that interventions offered in a community setting will have the greatest impact due to the widespread availability of pharmaceutical services.