Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Hypertension

Benefit of pharmacists prescribing antihypertensive medication

Nature Reviews Cardiology volume 12, page 443 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Multiple studies have shown a benefit of pharmacist-based intervention in the management of patients with hypertension; however, the assessed interventions have mostly involved patient education, monitoring and adjustment of medication, and recommendations to physicians. A new trial has now shown benefit of pharmacists being able to independently prescribe drug therapy to individuals with hypertension.

Patients randomly assigned to the 'enhanced pharmacist care' group (n = 181) received pharmacist assessment of, and counselling about, cardiovascular risk and blood-pressure (BP) control; review of antihypertensive medication; and prescribing and/or titrating of drug therapy, as deemed necessary. The patients' primary care physicians were notified of all assessment results and changes to their patients' drug therapy. Pharmacists provided education and BP measurement to the patients assigned to the 'usual care' group (n = 67), and recommended they see their physician for further treatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Tsuyuki, R. T. et al. A randomized trial of the effect of pharmacist prescribing on improving blood pressure in the community: the Alberta clinical trial in optimizing hypertension (RxACTION). Circulation 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.015464

Download references

Authors
  1. Bryony M. Mearns
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mearns, B. Benefit of pharmacists prescribing antihypertensive medication. Nat Rev Cardiol 12, 443 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2015.104

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2015.104

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing