There is
a lack of clear guidelines regarding the management of drug-drug
interactions.
Objective: To assess the impact of an educational intervention
on the management of drug interactions with beta-blockers.
Methods: The study had a controlled before-and-after design. The
intervention group (n=10 pharmacies) received a continuing education
course and guidelines on the management of drug interactions with
beta-blockers. The control group (n=10 pharmacies) received no
intervention. Pharmacy students and staff of internship pharmacies
participated in this study. Before and after the intervention,
students registered interactions with beta-blockers during two
weeks. Information was obtained on drug information of the beta-blocker
and the interacting drug, patient’s demographics, and the mode
of transaction.
Results: A total number of 288 interactions were detected during
both study periods. Most beta-blockers causing an interaction
were prescribed for hypertension, and interacted with hypoglycemic
agents, NSAIDs, or beta2-agonists. Pharmacists’ intervention rate
was low (14% in the pre-test compared to 39% in the post-test),
but increased significantly in the post-test in the intervention
group. Reasons for overriding the interaction included limited
clinical relevance, refill prescriptions, not being aware of the
interaction, and communication problems with the prescriber.
Conclusion: An interactive continuing education course, during
which practice-oriented guidelines were offered, affected pharmacists’
short-term behavior at the counter in dealing with interactions
of beta-blockers. Continuing education plays a role in raising
pharmacists’ awareness and responsibility towards the detection
and management of drug interactions in the pharmacy.
