Introduction and Objective: Diabetes mellitus impacts 37.3 million individuals in the U.S., and Fresno, California, has a higher prevalence of 11.4% among adults compared to the state average of 10.5%. With 45 primary care physicians per 100,000 patients, ensuring consistent follow-up and monitoring is challenging. This study assesses the impact of pharmacist-led interventions on glycemic control in diabetes patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in California's Central Valley.
Methods: This single-center cohort study assesses type I and type II diabetic patients in Primary Care and Endocrinology Clinics. Participants were grouped into standard care or standard care with pharmacist-led interventions. The primary endpoint measured average HbA1c change from baseline, and secondary endpoints included adjustments in anti-diabetic agents, attendance and referrals to multidisciplinary professionals. Average A1c change between groups was assessed using an unpaired t-test, and A1c change was analyzed with a generalized linear model.
Results: The intervention group showed a significant average HbA1c reduction of 1.96% in 12 weeks, exceeding the standard group's 0.88% reduction. Additionally, the intervention group received 77 more referrals to various guideline recommended specialties regarding diabetes care. Appointments typically occurred every 2-3 weeks for 12 weeks with significant improvements in HbA1c for those who attended at least 3 visits.
Conclusion: This study highlights how a collaborative approach to treating diabetes in an underserved patient population may lead to meaningful outcomes and allow physicians to spend more time treating acute issues necessitating less time spent on chronic disease. Implementing a proactive interprofessional model involving ambulatory care pharmacists may also enable precise identification and intervention for high-risk populations in need of meticulous diabetes monitoring and management.
C. Hajou: None. A. Zhou: None. J. Woodley: None. S.M. Policepatil: None.
