The College of Pharmacy discussed the MSc thesis entitled “The impact of Pharmacist-led Intervention on Adherence, Quality of life, and Self-efficacy Among Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus” by the student Roaa Tahseen Taher Khadher and her supervisors Assistant Professor Dr. Basma Zuheir Al-Metwali at the Clinical Pharmacy Department and Professor Dr. Faiq Isho Gorial at College of Medicine/University of Baghdad.
The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of pharmacist intervention in enhancing treatment adherence, quality of life, and self-efficacy among adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and also to assess the impact of pharmacist intervention on the uptake and willingness to receive the influenza vaccine among adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
The study included a pre-post intervention led by the pharmacist among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who had been diagnosed by rheumatology specialists for at least 6 months. The participating patients received an educational consultation and an educational booklet. Each patient participated in two sessions, with the first session conducted immediately after completing the assessment of treatment adherence, quality of life, and self-efficacy through a face-to-face interview, and the second session was conducted one month later.
The study concluded that pharmacist-led educational intervention significantly improved treatment adherence, quality of life, and self-efficacy. In addition, pharmacist intervention improved both the uptake of and willingness to take the influenza vaccine among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
The study recommended the necessity of involving pharmacists in the care of lupus patients, which can improve patient education, increase medication adherence, boost patients’ self-confidence, and enhance their quality of life.
