Paola Brusa
University of Turin
Italy
Title: : Preliminary results of the Inter-Athenaeum Project in Community Pharmacy (Piedmont, Italy): the role of pharmacists in improving prevention and compliance for diabetes and other chronic diseases
Biography
Biography: Paola Brusa
Abstract
The Inter-Athenaeum Project in Community Pharmacy aims to improve prevention and compliance for diabetes and other most common chronic diseases: heart failure, dyslipidemia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The project is coordinated by University of Turin, the RegionalAssociation of Pharmacy owners(Federfarma) the Orders of Pharmacists of Piedmont in cooperation with the Regional Epidemiology Unit. The first step of the Project is the pharmacist attendance of training courses, performed by specialists of each specific chronic disease. The second step of the Project is the development of specific programmes of prevention and compliance within the pharmacy setting. The prevention programmeis addressed to the healthy population with specific risk factors is aimed to the early identification of unknown risk factors or undiagnosed diseases. The compliance programmeis addressed to acclaimed patients and designed to evaluate adherence to therapy. The last step of the project is the pharmacoeconomic evaluation of both the programmes for each chronic disease, which will be discussed and evaluated in keeping with public health decision-makers. Preliminary results on the prevention and compliance programmes for diabetes performed by pharmacists show risk factor of getting the disease between 25-30% for citizens considered not sick and almost 30% of patients not adherent to the drug therapy. Overall, contact tools/survey/counseling may significantly contribute to increase diabetes and other chronic disease prevention by improving lifestyle and diet, mainly among elderly. They also may help to promote better patient adherence to therapy.