Study: Pharmacists, medical offices that work together help improve hypertension

Collaboration between pharmacists and medical offices improves medication adherence for patients with hypertension, according to a study.

Researchers at the University of Iowa and Iowa City Veterans Administration enrolled 402 patients with an average age of 58.3 years with uncontrolled hypertension in a study.

Pharmacists made drug therapy recommendations to physicians based on national guidelines and research nurses performed blood pressure measurements and 24-hour monitoring, according to the study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine.

Blood pressure was controlled in 29.9 percent of patients in the control group and in 63.9 percent of patients in the collaboration group.