[Development of a protocol for counseling patients starting with oral hypoglycemic agents].

INTRODUCTION:Counseling of patients filling a first prescription is an essentiaL aspect of pharmaceutical care. The use of a protocol summarizing all relevant counseling aspects can be a useful tool to standardize pharmaceutical care and to promote impLementation. AIM:(1) To develop a protocol for counseling of patients starting with oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA), and (2) to investigate current provision of counseling for these patients in Belgian community pharmacies. METHOD:Based on literature, a consensus meeting with community pharmacists and consultation with physicians, we developed a protocol for counseling patients starting OHA. Additionally, an observational study of current provision of counseling for patients starting OHA was performed in 90 community pharmacies. RESULTS:All pharmacists reported to provide the most important item of our protocol, i.e. dose and timing of OHA intake. All other protocol items were provided by a smaller proportion of pharmacists: indication (by 64.4% of pharmacists), mechanism of action (30.0%), what to do if a dose is missed (3.3%), side effects (34.4%), hypoglycaemia (24.4%) and Lifestyle advice (68.9%). About 45% of pharmacists reported to give written drug information to patients starting OHA. Reduction of the administrative workload was most frequently mentioned as measure to spend more time on patient counseling. The majority of pharmacists considered our protocol as feasible and appLicabLe in daily pharmacy practice. CONCLUSION:This study found that current counseLing practices for patients starting OHA can be improved. Our protocol could be a useful and feasible tool to facilitate implementation of first prescription counseling.