186357 Role of Pharmacists in Public Health: Hypertension Awareness, Treatment and Control among Elderly Asian American Community Dwellers

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Annie Lam, PharmD, CGP , Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Shin-Ping Tu, MD MPH , Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Background

Hypertension (HTN) is a prevalent health problem, yet information on HTN awareness and control among older Asian Americans is scarce. Pharmacists involvement in HTN screening and education can improve patient-centered care and generate information revealing disease control.

Objective

To describe pharmacist-provided medication advice and the awareness, treatment and control of HTN among multiethnic elderly Asian American participants of a pharmacist-directed HTN program.

Method

Blood pressure (BP) and medication consultation records during 1998-2005 were reviewed retrospectively. Included were records of participants with at least three separate BP measurements during the initial 3-months of participation. Mean BPs were classified into JNC-7 categories and grouped by age. Pharmacist-provided medication advises were grouped into adherence and therapy issues (over-, under- or lack of treatment). Participants' self-reported awareness of HTN diagnosis, treatment and acceptance of pharmacists' advice were assessed.

Results

Among 414 participants (age average 74.2+8.5 years old), 31.5% were male. The proportion of participants with: HTN was 51.9%; awareness was 37.9%; and treatment was 24.9%. HTN control worsened with increasing age. Among 103 treated subjects, 65% had uncontrolled HTN and 79.6% were aware of medication treatment. Among 210 subjects who received medication consultations, 63.8% reported having followed pharmacists' advice. Medication non-adherence and lack of medication treatment were the most frequently identified medication-related problems.

Discussion

This is one of the first reports describing HTN treatment, awareness, control and medication consultation among multiethnic elderly Asian Americans based on pharmacist-documented longitudinal HTN screening and medication consultations. Pharmacist-generate health data can augment public health information and knowledge.

Learning Objectives:
Learning objectives: Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to: • Describe the HTN screening and medication consultation activities modeled by a community-based pharmacist-provided HTN monitoring program • Understand the HTN medication therapy issues and problems related to medication use among the multi-ethnic older Asian Americans • List pharmacists’ role in enhancing patient education and empowering self-management to promote HTN control and cardiovascular health.

Keywords: Hypertension, Health Care Restructuring

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the faculty/pharmacist who have provided care to Asian older adults and participated in community outreach services.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Asian/Pacific Islander Health Across the Life Course
See more of: Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of APHA