Pharmacy-based Interdisciplinary Program for Patients With Chronic Heart Failure (PHARM-CHF)

Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Heart Failure

Treatments: Behavioral: Regular, pharmacy based intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01692119

PHARM-CHF

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the study is to investigate whether a continuous interdisciplinary intervention improves medication adherence (primary efficacy endpoint) and leads to a reduction of hospitalizations and mortality (primary safety endpoint) in elderly patients with chronic heart failure. The intervention, consisting of regular contacts with the local pharmacy and weekly dosing aids, aims to improve medication adherence and management.

Enrollment: 258 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age: 60 years and older
• Chronic heart failure (CHF)
• Stable CHF medication including a diuretic
• Hospitalization for decompensated heart failure within past 12 months OR a value of ≥ 350 pg/mL for BNP or ≥ 1,400 pg/mL for NT-proBNP
• Written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Use of a weekly dosing aid
• Unwillingness or inability to visit a participating pharmacy once a week
• Planned cardiac surgery
• Life-expectancy < 6 months
• Unwillingness or inability to comply with the study protocol (including drug abuse or alcohol dependency)
• Participation in other studies (currently or in the last 4 weeks)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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258 participants in 2 patient groups

regular, pharmacy-based intervention

Experimental group

Description:

providing medication in weekly dosing aids and regular contacts with the local pharmacy

Treatment:

Behavioral: Regular, pharmacy based intervention

usual care

No Intervention group

Description:

usual care