Comparison of a pharmacist-managed lipid clinic: in-person versus telephone.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of an in-person versus telephone-based pharmacist-managed lipid clinic.

Methods: Retrospective examination of a pharmacist-managed lipid clinic conducted at a Veterans Affairs medical center between September 2005 and March 2008. The clinical pharmacist educated, monitored, recommended nonpharmacologic treatment, and prescribed lipid-lowering medications using an in-person or telephone-based clinic style. The primary outcomes were to compare the two clinic styles on the percent of patients who reached their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol goal and the absolute percent of LDL cholesterol reduction.

Results: 157 patients with coronary artery disease or its risk equivalent were enrolled in the pharmacist-managed lipid clinic. Overall, patients experienced a mean 27% reduction in LDL cholesterol levels from baseline, and 76% reached their LDL cholesterol goal. No significant differences in the percent of patients reaching their LDL cholesterol goal or absolute percent reduction in LDL cholesterol levels were found between the in-person and phone-based clinics. A trend toward phone clinic patients achieving their goal LDL cholesterol levels more quickly was noted.

Conclusion: Both in-person and phone-based pharmacist-managed lipid clinics offer effective methods to improve the cholesterol levels of patients. Phone-based clinics may offer more advantages in efficiency for pharmacists and their patients and the potential to deliver care in a wider variety of pharmacy settings.