Pharmacist-led intervention improves SGLT2 inhibitor use in patients with HFEF

A pharmacist monitoring programme has helped increase the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with heart failure with an ejection fraction (HFEF) >40 percent, driven by improved documentation, according to a study.

Prescribing has also increased in patients eligible for the medication.

A group of researchers conducted this single-centre, retrospective, pre/postinterventional study. They assessed SGLT2 inhibitor utilization prior to the initiation of the pharmacist-led intervention in the preintervention cohort and assessed the postintervention group after initiation.

The research team identified hospitalized patients through a report of intravenous diuretic use on the cardiology floor along with a documented diagnosis of HFEF >40 percent. They assessed data via Chi-squared or student’s t-test to compare the pre- and postintervention groups.

Documented appropriate use of SGLT2 inhibitors significantly increased following the implementation of the pharmacist monitoring programme (40.9 percent preintervention vs 62.7 percent postintervention; p<0.001). Risk of infection and renal dysfunction were the most common reasons why patients held back on using SGLT2 inhibitors.

“Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide,” the researchers said. “Literature suggests that the use of SGLT2 inhibitors can be beneficial to decrease hospitalizations and cardiac mortality in patients with HFEF >40 percent.”