Impact of Community Pharmacist-Involved Collaborative Care Model for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: In Singapore, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was approximately 12.8% in 2014 and the prevalence was projected to rise to 22.7% in 2035. In view of the complexity of diabetes management, collaborative efforts by nurses and other allied health professionals such as dietitians and pharmacists have shown to play a significant role in improving clinical care of individuals with diabetes. Currently in Singapore, the effectiveness of the collaborative care model has only been evaluated prospectively in the primary and tertiary care settings involving clinical pharmacists. The impact of the unique, synergistic roles of community pharmacists with family physician on the clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes have yet to be elucidated. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes of a community pharmacist-involved collaborative care model in the management of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hypothesis: Incorporating community pharmacist into the care model with family physician and nurse can improve the clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This study is a prospective, open label, parallel arm, randomized controlled trial. The study will be conducted over 6 months at a family medicine clinic in Singapore. Individuals aged 21 years and above, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c \> 7.0%) and taking 5 or more chronic medications will be eligible. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes or who are unable to communicate independently in English, Mandarin or Malay will be excluded from this study. The participants will be randomly assigned to 2 groups using a random number generator or an equivalent: (1) Usual diabetes care with physician (control), (2) diabetes care with physician and community pharmacist (intervention). The community pharmacist will adopt the core elements of the medication therapy management model in reviewing the medications of partici