***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: OBJECTIVE : To evaluate the effectiveness of a community pharmacist-based home blood pressure ( BP ) monitoring program . DESIGN : Trial of a high-intensity ( HI ) versus low-intensity ( LI ) intervention r and omized in 12 community pharmacies . The HI intervention comprised 4 face-to-face visits with a trained pharmacist . Pharmacists provided patient-specific education about hypertension . Following the first and third visits , patients were provided with a home BP monitoring device and instructed to measure their BP at least once daily for the next month . Home BP readings were used by the pharmacists to develop treatment recommendations for the patient ’s physician . Recommendations were discussed with the physician and , if approved , implemented by the pharmacist . In the LI intervention , pharmacists measured patients BP in the pharmacy and referred them to their physician for evaluation . PARTICIPANTS : Patients with uncontrolled BP at baseline . MEASUREMENTS : The main outcomes were the differences in systolic and diastolic BP ( SBP and DBP ) from baseline to follow-up between the HI and LI patients . RESULTS : The study enrolled 125 patients , 64 in the HI and 61 in the LI group . From baseline , SBP declined 13.4 mmHg in the HI group and 9.0 mmHg in the LI group . At the final visit , the difference in SBP/DBP change between the HI and LI group was −4.5/−3.2 mmHg ( P=.12 for SBP and P=.03 for DBP ) . CONCLUSIONS : The HI intervention achieved a lower DBP and this model could be a strategy for patients with hypertension OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of a 9-month community pharmacy-based medication therapy management ( MTM ) program on quality of care in patients with diabetes and hypertension . DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . SETTING Tulsa , OK , between November 2005 and July 2007 . PATIENTS 52 patients with diabetes and hypertension who were enrolled in a managed care organization . INTERVENTION During monthly visits , intervention group participants received MTM services for hypertension and diabetes management . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Systolic blood pressure ( SBP ) , percentage at goal blood pressure ( < 130/80 mm Hg ) , and antihypertensive medication adherence . RESULTS The mean intervention group SBP decreased 17.32 mm Hg , whereas the mean control group SBP level increased 2.73 mm Hg ( P = 0.003 ) . The percentage of patients at goal blood pressure increased from 16.0 % to 48.0 % in the intervention group and decreased from 20.0 % to 6.67 % in the control group . Intervention group participants were 12.92 times more likely than control group participants to achieve goal blood pressure ( P = 0.021 ) . Although the mean adherence rate in the intervention group increased 7.0 % while remaining fairly constant in the control group ( -0.7 % ) , this group difference was not statistically significant . CONCLUSION A community pharmacy-based hypertension MTM program was effective in improving blood pressure control among managed care enrollees with diabetes and hypertension . Community pharmacists are strategically positioned to provide MTM services and effectively communicate with providers to improve quality of care for patients Aim : To measure the outcomes of a harmonised , structured pharmaceutical care programme provided to elderly patients by community pharmacists . Method : A r and omised , controlled , longitudinal , clinical trial with repeated measures was performed over an 18‐month period , involving  community pharmacies ( 5 intervention and 5 control ) in Northern Irel and . Elderly , ambulatory patients ( ≥ 65 years ) , taking 4 or more prescribed medications were eligible for participation . Patients attending an intervention pharmacy received education on medical conditions , implementation of compliance strategies , rationalising of drug regimens and appropriate monitoring ; patients attending control sites received normal services . A battery of clinical , humanistic and economic outcomes were assessed . Results : A significantly higher proportion of intervention patients were compliant at the end of the 18‐month study and experienced fewer problems with medication compared to control patients ( P < 0.05 ) . There was little impact on quality of life and health care utilisation . Conclusions : Pharmaceutical care provision to community‐dwelling patients result ed in an improvement in medication compliance and evidence of cost‐savings . Future pharmaceutical care studies may benefit from a more focussed selective approach to data collection and outcomes measurement Background Non-adherence to antidepressants generates higher costs for the treatment of depression . Little is known about the cost-effectiveness of pharmacist 's interventions aim ed at improving adherence to antidepressants . The study aim ed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a community pharmacist intervention in comparison with usual care in depressed patients initiating treatment with antidepressants in primary care . Methods Patients were recruited by general practitioners and r and omized to community pharmacist intervention ( 87 ) that received an educational intervention and usual care ( 92 ) . Adherence to antidepressants , clinical symptoms , Quality -Adjusted Life-Years ( QALYs ) , use of healthcare services and productivity losses were measured at baseline , 3 and 6 months . Results There were no significant differences between groups in costs or effects . From a societal perspective , the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio ( ICER ) for the community pharmacist intervention compared with usual care was € 1,866 for extra adherent patient and € 9,872 per extra QALY . In terms of remission of depressive symptoms , the usual care dominated the community pharmacist intervention . If willingness to pay ( WTP ) is € 30,000 per extra adherent patient , remission of symptoms or QALYs , the probability of the community pharmacist intervention being cost-effective was 0.71 , 0.46 and 0.75 , respectively ( societal perspective ) . From a healthcare perspective , the probability of the community pharmacist intervention being cost-effective in terms of adherence , QALYs and remission was of 0.71 , 0.76 and 0.46 , respectively , if WTP is € 30,000 . Conclusion A brief community pharmacist intervention addressed to depressed patients initiating antidepressant treatment showed a probability of being cost-effective of 0.71 and 0.75 in terms of improvement of adherence and QALYs , respectively , when compared to usual care . Regular implementation of the community pharmacist intervention is not recommended . Trial Registration Clinical Trials.gov Background : Despite national disease management plans , optimal asthma management remains a challenge in Australia . Community pharmacists are ideally placed to implement new strategies that aim to ensure asthma care meets current st and ards of best practice . The impact of the Pharmacy Asthma Care Program ( PACP ) on asthma control was assessed using a multi-site r and omised intervention versus control repeated measures study design . Methods : Fifty Australian pharmacies were r and omised into two groups : intervention pharmacies  implemented the PACP ( an ongoing cycle of assessment , goal setting , monitoring and review )  to 191 patients over 6 months , while control pharmacies gave their usual care to 205 control patients . Both groups administered question naires and conducted spirometric testing at baseline and 6 months later . The main outcome measure was asthma severity/control status . Results : 186 of 205 control patients ( 91 % ) and 165 of 191 intervention patients ( 86 % ) completed the study . The intervention result ed in improved asthma control : patients receiving the intervention were 2.7 times more likely to improve from “ severe ” to “ not severe ” than control patients ( OR 2.68 , 95 % CI 1.64 to 4.37 ; p<0.001 ) . The intervention also result ed in improved adherence to preventer medication ( OR 1.89 , 95 % CI 1.08 to 3.30 ; p = 0.03 ) , decreased mean daily dose of reliever medication ( difference −149.11 μg , 95 % CI −283.87 to −14.36 ; p = 0.03 ) , a shift in medication profile from reliever only to a combination of preventer , reliever with or without long-acting β agonist ( OR 3.80 , 95 % CI 1.40 to 10.32 ; p = 0.01 ) and improved scores on risk of non-adherence ( difference −0.44 , 95 % CI −0.69 to −0.18 ; p = 0.04 ) , quality of life ( difference −0.23 , 95 % CI −0.46 to 0.00 ; p = 0.05 ) , asthma knowledge ( difference 1.18 , 95 % CI 0.73 to 1.63 ; p<0.01 ) and perceived control of asthma question naires ( difference −1.39 , 95 % CI −2.44 to −0.35 ; p<0.01 ) . No significant change in spirometric measures occurred in either group . Conclusions : A pharmacist-delivered asthma care programme based on national guidelines improves asthma control . The sustainability and implementation of the programme within the healthcare system remains to be investigated BACKGROUND Noncompliance is a major factor in the morbidity and unnecessary hospital readmissions for patients with heart failure . Several studies have aim ed to reduce rehospitalizations in heart failure patients through a comprehensive , multidisciplinary approach . Medication compliance was rarely measured in these studies or , when it was measured , the method employed was seldom valid . We aim ed at determining the effect of a pharmacist-led intervention on medication compliance in patients with heart failure . METHODS We conducted a r and omized controlled trial into the effect of a pharmacist-led intervention on medication compliance in patients with heart failure ( predominantly New York Heart Association [ NYHA ] II and III ) treated with loop diuretics , presenting to a cardiology outpatient clinic or admitted to hospitals in The Netherl and s. Patients in the intervention group received monthly consultations from their community pharmacist during a 6-month period . Patients in the control group received usual care . Primary endpoint was medication compliance , assessed with a medication event monitoring system , an electronic pill bottle that registers time of opening . Secondary endpoints were the number of rehospitalizations , death , and quality of life . RESULTS A total of 152 patients were r and omized : 74 patients to the intervention arm and 78 patients to the usual care arm . Over the 6-month study period , patients in the intervention group had 140/7656 days without use of loop diuretics compared with 337/6196 days in the usual care group ( relative risk 0.33 [ confidence interval ( CI ) 95 % 0.24 - 0.38 ] ) . Two consecutive days of nondosing occurred on 18/7656 days in the intervention group compared with 46/6196 days in the usual care group ( relative risk 0.32 [ CI 95 % 0.19 - 0.55 ] ) . There were no significant differences in rehospitalizations , mortality , or disease-specific quality of life between groups . CONCLUSIONS A pharmacy-led intervention can improve medication compliance in patients with moderate to severe heart failure , even in those with relatively high compliance . Future interventions should also focus at less compliant patients Education on optimal medication use is an essential strategy to improve asthma control . The current authors investigated whether pharmacist interventions , focused on appropriate use of asthma medication and tailor-made to the patient 's current asthma control , would improve asthma control in adult patients . A 6-month r and omised , controlled , parallel-group trial was conducted in 66 community pharmacies in Belgium . Patients were r and omly assigned to receive usual pharmacist care ( n = 94 ) or a pre-defined pharmacist intervention ( n = 107 ) . This intervention mainly focused on improving inhalation technique and medication adherence . Primary outcome was the level of asthma control , as assessed by the Asthma Control Test ® ( ACT ) . Mean ACT scores did not change from baseline for both study groups . However , a pre-defined subgroup analysis of patients having insufficiently controlled asthma at baseline showed that the intervention had significantly increased the ACT score after 6 months compared with usual care . The intervention also reduced , for the complete study group , reliever medication use and the frequency of night-time awakenings due to asthma . Inhalation technique and adherence to controller medication were significantly better in the intervention group . In conclusion , pragmatic community pharmacy-based programmes can significantly improve therapeutic outcomes in adult asthma patients BACKGROUND The practice of pharmaceutical care in primary care setting s in Thail and is currently not generally accepted . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of pharmacist involvement in treatment with hypertensive patients in primary care setting s. METHODS The treatment objective was to stabilize the blood pressure ( BP ) of hypertensive patients in accordance with the Joint National Committee on Prevention , Detection , Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure guidelines . Patients were r and omly assigned to a pharmacist-involved group ( treatment ) or a group with no pharmacist involvement ( control ) . Pre- and post-test BPs , tablet counts , lifestyle modifications , and pharmacists ’ recommendations were recorded . The 6-month study was carried out in Mahasarakham University pharmacy and 2 primary care units . Patients were 
    Output:
    
Community pharmacist-led interventions have been shown to improve patients ' adherence and contribute to better blood pressure control , cholesterol management , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma control .
Studies in this review , however , did not report statistically significant effects of interventions on diabetes or depression control .
CONCLUSION Community pharmacist-led interventions have been shown to contribute to improved adherence and better disease control .