The potential role of local pharmacies to assess asthma control: an Italian cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC public health 2021-01, Vol.21 (1), p.19-8, Article 19
• Main Authors: Caminati, M, Cegolon, L, Bacchini, M, Segala, N, Dama, A, Bovo, C, Olivieri, B, Furci, F, Senna, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Asthma; Asthma - drug therapy; Asthma control test; Chronic illnesses; Community involvement; Community participation; Community pharmacies; Community Pharmacy Services; Confidence intervals; Control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Disease control; Drug stores; Drugstores; Exercise; Female; Health care; Health services; Humans; Italy; Male; Medical treatment; Middle Aged; Monitoring; Patient compliance; Patients; Pharmacies; Pharmacists; Physical exercise; Physical fitness; Public health; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Regression models; Services; Statistical analysis; Telemedicine; Treatment compliance
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-10080-1

Asthma control and monitoring still represents a challenge worldwide. Although the international guidelines suggest the interplay between secondary and primary care services as an effective strategy to control the disease, community pharmacies' are seldom involved in asthma control assessment. The present cross-sectional study aimed at providing a picture of the relationship between asthma severity and control in community pharmacies within the health district of the city of Verona (Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy). A call for participation was launched through the Pharmacists' Association of Verona. Patients referring to the participating pharmacies with an anti-asthmatic drug medical prescription and an asthma exemption code were asked to complete the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and a brief questionnaire collecting information on their age, sex, smoking status, aerobic physical exercise and usual asthma therapy, which also defined asthma severity. A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to investigate the risk of uncontrolled as well as poorly controlled vs. controlled asthma (base). Results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Fifty-seven community pharmacies accepted to participate and 584 asthmatic patients (54% females; mean-age: 51 ± 19 years) were consecutively recruited from 1st January to 30th June 2018 (6 months). Based upon ACT score 50.5% patients had a controlled asthma, 22.3% a poorly controlled and 27.2% uncontrolled. A variable proportion of patients with uncontrolled asthma were observed for every level of severity, although more frequently with mild persistent form of asthma. Most patients (92%) self-reported regular compliance with therapy. At multinomial regression analysis, patients under regular asthma treatment course (RRR = 0.33; 95%CI: 0.15; 0.77) were less likely to have an ACT