This was a cross-sectional study of patients with hypertension presenting to a community pharmacy in England with a newly prescribed antihypertensive medication. Anonymised patient and consultation data were recorded by pharmacists using PharmOutcomes software in pharmacies as part of the NMS service, and were subsequently sent to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
How this fits in
The burden of hypertension in primary care is high, and alternative models of care, such as pharmacist management, have shown promise. However, data describing outcomes from routine consultations between pharmacists and patients with hypertension are lacking. Within the first 2 weeks of initiating antihypertensive medication, patient referral from pharmacies to general practice were influenced by factors including medication side effects, medication-related uncertainty, and the drug class prescribed. However, overall referral rates were low (4%), suggesting that additional pharmacist involvement does not increase medical workload appreciably, supporting further development of pharmacist-led hypertension interventions.
As this was a secondary analysis of anonymised routinely collected data, no ethical approval was required.