Impact of Community Pharmacy-based Primary Care Clinic on the Management of Chronic Diseases in Saudi Arabia
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In Saudi Arabia, community pharmacies offer individualized, patient-centered care through primary care clinics. To accomplish the healthcare goals set in the country's Vision 2030, this method plays a key role in managing chronic diseases and improving medication management. Hence, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of primary care clinics within community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on their role in delivering personalized, patient-centered care. A chart review approach was utilized in this study conducted at Aldwaa Pharmacy Clinic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The primary objective was to assess the variations in hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) (%) from baseline. In the same way, the evaluation of blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose (FG), neuropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) symptoms was included as the secondary objective. Measurements were taken at the start and during the two follow-up periods, with patient satisfaction measured after the final visit. It was determined that pharmacist-led interventions significantly dropped HbA1c levels from a median of 7.3% at baseline to 6.9% in both Period 1 and Period 2 follow-ups (p < 0.001). BMI also exhibited significant improvement, dropping from a median of 32.5 kg/m² at baseline to 30.7 kg/m² by the Period 2 follow-up (p = 0.035). Furthermore, patient satisfaction remained notably high, with over 93% reporting being very satisfied with the services. While other secondary outcomes showed improvement, the changes were not statistically significant. The study concluded that community pharmacy-based primary care clinic positively impacts patient health outcomes and patient satisfaction. So, integrating these services into the broader healthcare system is essential to achieve national healthcare goals.
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