Regular follow-up calls from pharmacists can help people lower their “bad” (LDL) cholesterol by supporting them with their medication, a study by Imperial College London has found.
The study, published on June 3 and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), explored how pharmacists could assist high-risk patients - those with high bad cholesterol and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease - by “reminding them to take their medication”.
The 204 participants from West London had an average LDL cholesterol level of 3.39 mmol per litre at the beginning of the study.
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But after receiving phone calls from pharmacists, this fell by an average of 42% to 1.97 mmol per litre.
Researchers found that, based on previous research evidence, the average LDL reduction observed in the study would cut the participants’ “odds of having a cardiovascular event by around 33%”.
And some 70% of participants reduced their level of LDL cholesterol to the “recommended level of no more than 2 mmol per litre, typically after eight to 10 weeks”.
Build “friendly” relationships
The BHF said the help and advice given by the pharmacists to patients did not involve just medication reminders, but also “tips to support them taking their medications”, such as using pill boxes or apps.
Patients also received explanations about “their cholesterol targets and why treatment was important”, as well as reassurance about side effects, including informing them of the “recent evidence that most suspected side effects are not in fact linked to the drugs”.
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The patients were “called by the same pharmacist each time”, which helped them “build a friendly relationship”, the BHF said.
The study did not “compare the pharmacist approach to the usual NHS care”, but researchers said “a larger study could investigate this next” - and that shifting this support to pharmacies could “help reduce the workload of GPs”.
“Golden window”
BHF clinical director and a consultant cardiologist Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan said “many patients don’t get the help they need” after heart attacks or strokes to “reach their recommended reduction in cholesterol levels”.
She added that the research “showed that regular, continuing support from a pharmacist in the golden window soon after people go home from hospital can be powerful”.
“Innovative service improvements like this could play a key role if they work across the nation,” she said.
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And Chelsea and Westminster Hospital specialist cardiology pharmacist Hussein Alhakem said the findings “show that a simple change in how we support people in the community can have a powerful impact on reducing ‘bad’ cholesterol”.
“With further work to improve access, particularly in under-served communities, this model could be scaled up to help prevent thousands of future heart attacks and strokes in the UK,” he added.
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It comes after the BHF partnered with Tesco pharmacy in February to deliver “free walk-in and pre-booked 10‑minute” blood pressure checks in-store.
And it follows a pharmacy in Liverpool rolling out “rapid community testing” to support the “early identification of suspected heart failure”.
