Pharmacist care may reduce hospitalizations in heart failure patients

Pharmacist interventions in heart failure (HF) across in- and outpatient settings can help lower all-cause and HF hospitalizations, according to a study.

The authors performed a systematic literature search using PubMed and Embase databases and according to PRISMA guidelines. They identified randomized controlled trials published by November 2024. Studies were eligible if they assessed the effects of pharmacy interventions on hospitalizations and mortality among patients with HF. Those with community- or home-based interventions were excluded.

The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to appraise the quality of studies. The authors applied random-effects models to derive odds ratios (OR) and assessed heterogeneity using the I2 statistic and Cochrane’s Q test.

Eleven studies met the eligibility criteria, including a total of 3,576 patients and a variety of pharmacist interventions. Pooled analysis revealed a significant reduction in the odds of all-cause hospitalizations with pharmacist interventions vs usual care (3,472 patients, 927 events; OR, 0.67, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.49–0.92; p=0.0119).

Similar results were observed for HF hospitalizations (3,442 patients, 504 events; OR, 0.64, 95 percent CI, 0.48–0.87; p=0.0038).

Both analyses had moderate heterogeneity, and their robustness was supported by sensitivity analyses. In subgroup analyses, pharmacists were more effective in outpatient settings and when providing extended interventions.

“Our findings highlight the importance of integrating pharmacists into multidisciplinary teams to improve HF management for in- and outpatients,” the authors said.