Pharmacist interventions to improve medication adherence in patients with co-morbid hypertension and diabetes: a scoping review and bibliometric analysis

Objectives: To evaluate the characteristics, assessment methods and overall impact of pharmacist-led interventions on medication adherence (MA) and clinical outcomes in patients with co-morbid hypertension and diabetes. Methods: A predetermined search in four scientific databases (Scopus, Cochrane, Medline, and CINAHL) and a search engine (Google Scholar) was conducted between October 2023 and February 2024. This review was reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A screening was conducted which considered the article type (original article), written in the English language and based on the study’s relevance while conference proceedings, reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded. Bibliometric indicators and VOSviewer were utilized to analyse and visualize keyword networks. Key findings: Out of the 420 studies initially identified, 12 of them involving 3512 patients were analysed in this review. The majority (11) reported a significant effect of pharmacist interventions on MA to prescribe medications. Pharmacist-led interventions, including remote and in-person education, special monitoring, and medication simplification, significantly improved MA and clinical outcomes in patients with hypertension and diabetes. The inclusion of patient education in a pharmacist-led multimodal intervention achieved a 100% success rate in improving MA. Conclusion: For patients with hypertension and diabetes co-morbidity, integrating pharmacist education in multifaceted interventions is more effective in improving MA and clinical outcomes.