Can community pharmacists identify gaps in statin use for ASCVD prevention?

Community pharmacists can effectively recognize treatment gaps in the use of statin therapy for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events, suggests a recent study.

Fifty-seven participants were identified, of whom 43 (75.4 percent) were possible statin candidates. Most of these individuals indicated trust in their pharmacist to prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication. They also stated that insurance should pay for these screenings.

“Participants indicated trusting pharmacists to provide this service and found the service valuable,” said the investigators who conducted this cross-sectional study at three independent community pharmacies.

They identified participants based on age and medication history and scheduled them at their pharmacy to receive a comprehensive ASCVD risk screening consisting of point-of-care measurement of a complete lipid panel, blood glucose or A1C, and blood pressure.

Participants received information on their statin candidacy at the screening and completed a survey regarding perceptions of the services provided and opinions of statin prescribing by pharmacists.

“Statins are a highly effective lipid-lowering therapy associated with significant reductions in ASCVD events and death. Despite these benefits, statins are underutilized. Pharmacist-led interventions to increase statin prescribing are effective,” the investigators said.

“To our knowledge, no prior studies implemented a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment utilizing point-of-care testing in community pharmacies,” they added.