The Role of Clinical Pharmacist in Enhancement of Medication Adherence and Quality of Life in Bronchial Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are two of the leading causes of morbidity, mortality and economic burden worldwide. The burden of chronic respiratory disease has major adverse effects on the quality of life and ability of affected individuals. A variety of effective treatment options exist for patients with Asthma and COPD but long-term adherence to medications is required for treatment success. Aim of the study was to assess the adherence to medication and quality of life in Asthma and COPD patients using questionnaires, and to enhance adherence and quality of life using the strategies of counselling and education. The observational study was conducted for a period of 6 months, assessed medication adherence by Morisky self-reported questionnaires and quality of life by St. George’s Respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) and 36 item short form health survey (SF-36). The study shows there was statistically significant improvement in medication adherence score (p<0.05) and quality of life (p<0.05) after pharmacist’s counselling regarding disease, medication and lifestyle. Comparison between various demographic factors like age, gender, co-morbidities, smoking index showed equal impact of pharmacist’s counselling on improvement of overall medication adherence and quality of life in Asthma and COPD patients. Overall medication adherence and quality of life improvement was found to be statistically significant in Asthma and COPD patients after counselling by clinical pharmacists. Clinical pharmacists must be considered as an integral element of healthcare system. Patient counselling is effective to resolve the problems associated with medication non-adherence and quality of life. Keywords: Asthma, COPD, Medication adherence, Quality of life