Abstract:
This study examines the pattern of prescribing, adequacy of community based pharmaceutical care and patient’s presenting diastolic blood pressure as a pointer to possible therapeutic success in Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. Six community pharmacy outfits were visited to meet buyers who are hypertensive having duly signed prescriptions. Questionnaires were administered seeking information on the demographics and behavioural diposition of respondents to their drugs and assessment of care concern of the pharmacist in charge of their prescription fill. Seven hundred and sixty seven respondents, males (32.0±7.6) and females (39.0±6.8) predominantly natives of Akwa Ibom participated in the study. 11.1% of the respondents were underweight while 29. 5 were obese. The mean diastolic blood pressure (MDP) of obese males were significantly higher than their counterpart female BMI group (P>0.01). Only 24% of the respondent admitted knowledge of the professional services of a pharmacist and recorded a pharmaceutical care assessment of 24.98 ± 9.99 out of 50 points. The frequency of use of antihypertensive was diuretic, anxiolytic, beta-receptor antagonist, ACEI and other classes in the order 36.0%, 27.9%, 15.4%, 13.9% and 5.8% respectively. The monitoring of drug use pattern as part of pharmaceutical care in hypertensive patients can make readily available information on which improved patient care is based in that environment.

Keywords: Hypertension, Pharmaceutical Care, Prescriptions.