Pharmacist Intervention in Controlling Symptoms with Common Upper Respiratory Disease

The role of pharmacists in pharmacies has evolved from drug dispensers to more specialized tasks. The general purpose of this article is to analyze and investigate pharmacist intervention in controlling symptoms of outpatients suffering from common acute upper respiratory disease via prescription of non-prescription drugs according to the pharmaceutical rules and regulations in the health sector.

This is a clinical trial that was conducted on patients with one of the diseases of common cold, flu, acute rhino-sinusitis, laryngitis, or allergic rhinitis in community pharmacies with acute symptoms. The first group underwent diagnostic and therapeutic (theranostic) interventions by a pharmacist based on non-pharmacological treatment or, if necessary, non-prescription drugs. The second group received over-the-counter medicine based on their own request and without the pharmacist theranostic approach. Patient symptoms were evaluated before initiation of monitoring and then one week later.

The results of the difference in average scores of 100 patients in five diseases for the intervention and non-intervention subgroups were 23.30 and 14.45 for common colds, 20.00 and 13.35 for influenza, 11.40 and 7.15 for allergic rhinitis, 15.00 and 14.00 for laryngitis, and 30.00 and 23.00 for sinusitis, respectively. The difference in clinical improvement scores in all diseases was significantly higher in the pharmacist intervention subgroup, except for patients with laryngitis, where no significant difference was observed between the two subgroups.

Pharmacists have the potential to control the symptoms of patients with common upper respiratory tract disease. Using this capacity in primary care can improve minor ailments.