Effectiveness of a Student Pharmacist-Led Telephone Follow-Up Intervention to Improve Hemoglobin A1C in Diabetic Patients

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a student pharmacist-led telephone follow-up intervention to improve hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) in diabetic patients. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, pilot study to implement a telephone follow-up intervention for diabetic patients with HbA(1c) >= 7%. Patients were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. All patients received standard of care. Patients in the intervention group additionally received weekly phone calls from a student pharmacist for 12 weeks to encourage medication adherence. HbA(1c) at baseline and end of study were measured and the data were analyzed using SAS version 9.4. Analysis included descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model to assess the association between the end of study and baseline HbA(1c) while controlling for demographics. Results: Seventy-eight patients participated and the average age was 62 (+/- 11) years. Baseline HbA(1c) was 8.2% (+/- 1.4%) in the intervention group and 7.9% (+/- 1.3%) in the control group. HbA(1c) decreased by 0.35% in the intervention group (P = .027) and increased by 0.338% in the control group (P = .013). The end of study HbA(1c) were higher in the control group even after controlling for baseline HbA(1c)s (0.5547, P value .002) in the regression model. Conclusion: Incorporating student pharmacists in physician offices to provide clinical care services could lead to improved patient outcomes and students' clinical and research skills.