OBJECTIVES: Evidence exists of health outcome improvements associated with certain public health services provided by pharmacists in an appropriate collaborative environment with physicians. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a collaborative care intervention in hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia management between pharmacies and primary care family health units (USFs).

METHODS: This was the first IT-driven multicenter, pragmatic, quasi-experimental controlled trial of hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia collaborative management between community pharmacies and USFs using panel data. Patients of selected USFs aged 18 years and above on medication for hypertension and/or hyperlipidemia were recruited by pharmacists. The intervention comprised: integrated care pathways as decision algorithms pre-agreed with USF physicians and inserted into the pharmacy dispensing software; technology-driven exchange of information between the two settings; and interprofessional meetings (Quality Circles) versus usual care. The primary outcomes were blood pressure, total cholesterol, and proportion of controlled patients at 6 months.

RESULTS: A total 203 patients entered the study and 108 patients completed 6-month data collection of primary outcomes. We were not able to observe differences in the effect of intervention vs control.

CONCLUSIONS: This collaborative trial was not able to establish effectiveness versus usual care possibly due to the many limitations, including recruitment and primary care technology communication issues. However, this study was the first in Portugal with innovative features and paved the way for future improved trials. Improvements in technology communication between settings are required to enable future collaborative care intervention trials between pharmacies and primary care towards integrated patient units and Value-Based Health Care.

Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials (ISRCTN): ISRCTN13410498, retrospectively registered on 12 December 2018: https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13410498