Abstract:
To study the effect of pharmacist counseling in chronic hemodialysis patients by evaluating before, during the 4-months counseling period, and after stopped counseling for 4 months on the following variables: number of drug related problems, degree of the patients' drug compliances, the patients' knowledge and understanding of their drugs and behaviors, the patients' biochemical and therapeutic responses and the patients' quality of life. The patients undergoing hemodialysis at hemodialysis unit in Phramongkutklao and Rajvithi hospitals were included in this study during May 1999 to March 2000. A total of 63 patients, age 15-82 years old were counseled for 4 months, and there were only 57 patients at the end of the studied period. The study showed that pharmacist counseling could solve drug related problems included drug noncompliance (79.87%), drug interactions (70.10%), and adverse drug reactions (66.67%). Degree of drug compliance improved significantly (P<0.05) after pharmacist's counseling, as well as their knowledge and understanding. Both improvements reversed in the absence of the pharmacist's counseling. Patients' biochemical and therapeutic responses improved significantly (P<0.05) after pharmacist's counseling, mostly shown in potassium level and blood pressure. Evaluation of patients' quality of lifes were not significantly different in any phases of this study. (P>0.05) Therefore pharmacist counseling is one of the services helps solving patients' drug and behavior problems. It can improve the knowledge and understanding of hemodialysis patients which should be done continually for better therapeutic responses and quality of life in these patients.