EFFECT OF PHARMACIST DIRECTED COUNSELLING SERVICES ON KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE (KAP) AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL

Pharmacists play a vital role in providing counseling to the hypertensive patients to understand disease, risk factors, medications, and non-pharmacological measures required in controlling Blood Pressure (BP). This study aims to evaluate the impact of pharmacist delivered counseling services on KAP levels and control of BP in hypertensive patients. A prospective, open-labeled, randomized control trial was conducted among hypertensive patients attending medical outpatient department of Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Hospital located in rural settings in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study was performed after getting ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Board with a registration number of RIPER/IRB/2018/038 and in accordance with ICH-GCP and CONSORT guidelines. The study was carried out for a period of one year from February 2018 to January 2019. The findings of the study reveal that there was a significant difference in the mean systolic and diastolic BP levels in intervention (138 ± 10.5, 82.3 ± 7.2) and control group (146.0 ± 8.2, 87.2 ± 5.4) at final follow-up visits. The mean percentage of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards hypertension management were significantly improved in the intervention group compared to control group. The study concludes that pharmacist is an integral part of the health care team to improve the health outcomes in hypertension. The study shows that patients had positive attitude levels regarding the management of hypertension. Due to lack of knowledge and awareness, the patients were under irrational practices. Finally, the pharmacist mediated counseling had significantly improved the KAP levels and BP control.