Effect of a clinical pharmacist-managed lipid clinic on achieving National Cholesterol Education Program low-density lipoprotein goals

Abstract

Despite national guidelines for treatment of hyperlipidemia, significant numbers of individuals with coronary artery disease are not treated to their National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) goals. The potential benefits of a clinical pharmacist-managed lipid clinic would be to improve rates of success in achieving these goals, improve drug adherence and compliance with therapy, and reduce cardiovascular events. All patients who had a documented history of coronary artery disease and were under the care of one cardiologist were treated in the pharmacist-managed lipid clinic. A second cardiologist provided usual care to a group of patients with coronary artery disease who served as controls. Patients in each arm were followed for a minimum of 6 months. A protocol for therapy changes in clinic patients was developed by the clinical pharmacist and approved by the cardiologist. At the end of 6 months, 69% of patients in the pharmacist-managed clinic achieved their LDL goal, compared with 50% of controls. Compliance with laboratory tests and drug regimens also improved in clinic patients. Compliance with lipid panels went from 8% 2 months before to 89% 2 months after the start of the study. At the end of 6 months compliance with laboratory work and refills was 80%. Thus the clinical pharmacist-managed clinic was highly successful in achieving NCEP goals for secondary prevention.