Patients suffering from uncontrolled type 2 diabetes can seek the help of clinical pharmacists

Sonnett and Galloway studied the role a clinical pharmacist in controlling type2 diabetes in patients. A clinical pharmacist was assigned a 64-year old patient. The patient had history of type2 uncontrolled diabetes. Haemoglobin A1c [A1c] level was at 10%. The patient complained of progressive retinal neuropathy and retinopathy. His adherence to oral medication was good but to insulin poor. A motivational interview technique was conducted. The pharmacist discussed the patient’s inability to adhere to insulin and also his diet patterns. A plan was made. The initial goal was to reduce the A1c levels to less than 9. A long term goal of reducing it to less than 8 was given. Follow ups were done over phone. Insulin dosage was adjusted depending on the levels of blood glucose. Results were collected at 12 weeks. Patient’s A1c level dropped to 7.1%. There were significant improvements in his peripheral neuropathy and visual impairment.