Objective: To evaluate the impact of pharmacist participation in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders clinic on the number of drug-related problems (DRPs), clinical outcomes, and the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: Most patients with PD commonly receive many medications for the management of both motor and non-motor symptoms, including several comorbidities. It might lead to DRPs, which may decrease the likelihood of achieving the desired therapeutic outcome. Although pharmaceutical care seems to improve adherence and the quality of life in PD patients, evidence regarding the impact of pharmaceutical care on therapeutic outcomes in PD patients remains to be clearly elucidated particularly in randomized controlled trials.

Method: A randomized controlled study was conducted in patients with idiopathic PD of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic at Siriraj Hospital, Thailand. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to the physician-pharmacist group or the usual care group. The primary outcome was changes in number of DRPs from baseline to 24 weeks between the two groups. Secondary outcomes included number of DRPs related to PD treatment, clinical outcomes (Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, MDS-UPDRS), clinical status (Patients’ Global Impression of Change, PGIC), and quality of life (Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire, PDQ-8). The participants and assessors evaluating the MDS-UPDRS were blinded.

Results: A total of 80 patients were randomized into physician-pharmacist group (n=40) and usual care group (n=40). The changes in the number of DRPs in physician-pharmacist group improved significantly when compared to usual care group (-7.3±3.6 and -2.9±1.9, respectively; p<0.001), especially non-adherence issues. Likewise, secondary outcomes also improved significantly in the physician-pharmacist group at 24 weeks in comparison to usual care group; the change in the number of DRPs related to PD treatment (p <0.001), MDS-UPDRS total score (p <0.001), PGIC (p = 0.003) PDQ-8 (p <0.001). No significant differences were found between groups in MDS-UPDRS-III.

Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that physician-pharmacist collaboration service in the PD and movement disorder clinic had a positive impact on patient outcomes.

« Back to 2023 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/benefits-of-physician-pharmacist-collaboration-on-patient-outcomes-in-parkinsons-disease-and-movement-disorders-clinic/