Key Takeaways
- Pharmacists can improve patient understanding and adherence by creating personalized medication plans, clearly explaining treatment goals and side effects, and providing written tools such as medication lists and after-visit summaries.
- Collaboration with providers and payers allows pharmacists to identify and communicate care gaps, optimize medication regimens, support titration, and address access or social barriers.
- Cardiovascular prevention is increasingly focused on holistic, multi-system risk management, positioning pharmacists to proactively address comorbidities, social determinants of health, and preventative care.
Nelson recommended that pharmacists provide written tools—such as complete medication lists, after-visit summaries, checklists, and actionable next steps—to reinforce counseling and help patients navigate multi-drug regimens. She also encouraged collaboration with prescribers to identify opportunities to reduce regimen complexity, such as transitioning patients to once-daily dosing or combination pills when appropriate, and de-escalating therapy under evidence-based guidance. These practices, Nelson said, can reduce pill burden and improve overall regimen adherence, particularly for patients managing multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
Nelson further highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships between community and ambulatory care pharmacists, providers, and payers to close care gaps in heart disease prevention. She described how pharmacists’ frequent interactions with patients allow them to flag issues such as uncontrolled blood pressure, nonadherence, or gaps in monitoring, and communicate these concerns directly to the care team. Participation in value-based care models, chronic disease state management protocols, and point-of-care testing—such as blood pressure monitoring—can extend pharmacists’ impact in preventative services.
Nelson concluded that modern cardiovascular prevention requires a holistic, multi-system approach that includes kidney function, metabolic health, and social determinants. Pharmacists, she emphasized, are well-positioned to identify patient needs across comorbid conditions and drive equitable, proactive interventions that improve outcomes.
