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Promoting rational herb-drug use through pharmacy-led advice and home visits in NCD patients

Summary

This study showed that when pharmacists visited NCD patients at home and provided education about the risks of combining herbal products with prescribed medications, patients significantly improved their knowledge and safe usage behaviors. The intervention successfully reduced the number of patients at risk of harmful herb-drug interactions from 37.5% to 25%. The findings suggest that simple home-based pharmacist counseling can be an effective way to help chronic disease patients safely use both herbs and medications together.

Background

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a significant global health problem, accounting for 74% of deaths worldwide. Patients with NCDs often use herbal products alongside prescribed medicines, but most users lack information about potential drug-herb interactions, creating significant health risks.

Objective

To investigate the effects of pharmacological advice by community pharmacists on promoting rational use of prescribed medicines together with herbal products in NCD patients. The study aimed to assess changes in patient knowledge and behavior regarding herb-drug interactions.

Results

Knowledge scores significantly increased from 5.8±1.8 to 8.4±1.6 out of 10 (p<0.001), and appropriate behavior scores rose from 21.7±2.9 to 24.4±3.1 out of 30 (p<0.001). The number of patients with herb-drug interaction risk decreased significantly from 37.5% to 25.0% (p=0.031). Most patients had moderate-level interactions with no severe cases.

Conclusion

Pharmacy-led advice on rational herbal use with prescribed NCD medicines is effective in promoting increases in patient knowledge and appropriate behavior. Home-based pharmacist interventions represent an effective strategy for managing herb-drug interaction risks in NCD patients.
  • Published in:Pharmacy Practice (Granada),
  • Study Type:Quasi-experimental study (one group pretest-posttest design),
  • Source: PMID: 36793912, DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2022.4.2747
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