•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Pharmacist-led interventions, encompassing patient education, adherence monitoring, and personalized care, have emerged as a critical strategy to optimize treatment outcomes in Hepatitis C (HCV) management, particularly in improving Sustained Virologic Response (SVR) and mitigating drug-related challenges. This review evaluates evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and retrospective analyses to assess the impact of pharmacist-led interventions on key HCV treatment outcomes, including SVR, medication adherence, and management of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs). A systematic search was conducted on PubMed database for studies published between January 2000 and December 2024 following PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy employed following keywords: ((((Pharmacist[Title/Abstract]) OR (clinical pharmacist[Title/Abstract])) OR (community pharmacist[Title/Abstract])) OR (medication use review[Title/Abstract])) AND (hepatitis c[Title/Abstract]). An initial search identified 192 records, from which 12 studies were included in the review. Pharmacist-led HCV interventions including monitoring, education, and tailored care improved outcomes and patient engagement. Most included studies (both RCTs and observational) showcased high SVR rates. Some studies that demonstrated lower SVR rates or did not differ significantly from the control group were due to more complex patient demographics. Recorded improvements also included medication adherence, patient engagement, and effective management of ADRs and DDIs. The findings indicate that pharmacist-led interventions demonstrated predominantly positive impacts on clinical outcomes. However, the evidence is limited by variations in study design and shortage of RCTs. Further research with standardized protocols is recommended to better define the role of pharmacists in HCV care.

Download

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.