Impact of Pharmacist-Led Interventions to Improve Clinical Outcomes for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes at Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials is to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-led interventions on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among patients with type 2 diabetes. Method A literature review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines using 4 electronic databases: Embase, MEDLINE, CINHAL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We searched for pharmacist interventions among adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in randomised controlled trials from inception to May 2021 in primary care, diabetes clinics and hospitals. The clinical outcomes measured glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile. The non-clinical outcomes included medication adherence, smoking, health-related quality of life and the cost of the intervention. For the meta-analysis, clinical outcomes were pooled with the random effect model in RevMan 5.3. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Results We retrieved 223 studies,141 of which were included in the review. Ten published articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The pharmacists delivered the interventions alone or collaboratively with other healthcare professionals in hospitals or similar settings. The overall result showed a significant reduction in HbA1c (n = 10; standard deviation in mean value [SDM]: -.53%, 95% CI: -.84, -.23) and systolic BP (n = 10; [SDM]: -.35 mmHg, 95% CI: -.51, -.20) in pharmacist intervention groups. For the non-clinical outcomes, the review revealed variable results from pharmacist intervention compared with those standard care. Conclusion Pharmacy interventions provide evidence for pharmacists' decisive role in diabetes care management and reducing cardiovascular risk factors among adults with type 2 diabetes.