Effect of Pharmacist Counseling on the Success of Therapy and the Quality of Life of Hypertensive Patients in a Hospital in East Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

Hypertension is a chronic disease that requires an intensive monitoring from time to time to prevent complications leading to cardiovascular disease. In addition, its complex health needs have an effect on the treatment process and the motivation of the patient for treatment. Therefore, pharmacist counseling is expected to provide information to patients in handling health problems, especially related to the treatment of hypertension. Counseling is expected to provide behavioral changes to optimize therapeutic effects and improve the quality of life of patients. The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of pharmacist counseling on the success of therapy and quality of life of hypertensive patients. The study was conducted at a hospital in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara to outpatients in Depo Induk implementing true experimental design and pretest posttest with control group with simple random sampling method during April - June 2017. The data collection included blood pressure, age, gender, education level, treatment success seen from decreased or controlled blood pressure, and quality of life with Short Form- 36 (SF-36). The subjects of the study were 100 people divided into 50 people in the non-counseling group (who merely received information on medication as usual by pharmacist in Depo Induk) and 50 people in the counseling group (who received drug information service as usual by pharmacist in Depo Induk and individual counseling by pharmacist/researcher). Counseling was given in the form of giving insight about drugs, hypertension, and non-pharmacological approach (lifestyle modification) in managing hypertension. The results showed that with counseling, pharmacists can improve treatment success proven by the decrease of systolic blood pressure (-9 mmHg, p=0,000) and diastolic blood pressure (-7 mmHg, p=0,000); improve the quality of life of hypertensive patients with p<0.000 value of both pre and posttest and treatment (counseling) and also validated by final data test results between non-counseling group and counseling group.