Clinical outcomes of the comprehensive medication management services offered to patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Vollständiger Abstract

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The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires a complex and high-cost pharmacotherapy, to which patients exhibit low persistence rates. In this context, offering the comprehensive medication management (CMM) service to individuals with RA is an important initiative to address their pharmacotherapeutic needs and, thereby, optimize their health outcomes. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the CMM service provided to RA patients in a rheumatology outpatient clinic. To this end, a quasi-experimental study was conducted with a single group of RA patients enrolled in an CMM service. Drug therapy problem (DTPs) identified and resolved were described. McNemar’s test was employed to compare the proportions of patients within and outside the therapeutic target for RA control before and after the intervention. A total of 50 patients with RA were evaluated. There was a significant increase in the proportion of individuals presenting controlled RA at the last visit compared to the first visit (p = 0.0143). Thus, the present study indicates that the offered CMM service was effective, demonstrating the potential to contribute to achieving RA control.