Sustained Blood Pressure Control Following Discontinuation of a Pharmacist Intervention for Veterans

Abstract

Clinical pharmacists are utilized in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities to assist with management of patients with chronic conditions including hypertension. The goal of this study was to examine blood pressure (BP) control after discontinuation of an intensive pharmacist-managed intervention. The study was conducted at a single Midwest VHA medical center and two affiliated community-based outpatient clinics. Patients with uncontrolled BP received an intensive pharmacist intervention for the first 6 months. Patients were then stratified based on whether their BP was controlled or not and were randomized to either continue the intervention for another 24 months (30 month total time period) or the intervention was discontinued following one-time receipt of educational materials. Mean systolic and diastolic BPs were reduced (P