The role of pharmacy specialists participation in the prevention and treatment of hypertension

The aim: To evaluate the role of pharmacy specialists in the management and prevention of hypertension in Kretinga community pharmacies. Objectives: 1. Identify whether pharmacy specialists are interested in up-to-date information about the treatment and prevention of hypertension. 2. To reveal what advices about the prevention of hypertension pharmacy specialists give to patients. 3. To determine the role of pharmacy specialists’ consultations in the treatment of hypertension. Methodology: Theoretical analysis. In the theoretical part of the work the scientific literature found on PubMed, Google Scholar platforms, related to the contribution of pharmacy specialists to the treatment and prevention of hypertension was analysed. Empirical method. The questionnaire was conducted. Statistical research methods. SPSS version 19.0 program was used to evaluate the obtained research results, and the graphs and tables presented in the work were created with MS Office 2010 Excel. Participants: Pharmacy specialists that work in Kretinga district pharmacies. Results: The obtained results showed that 88% of pharmacists and 86.7% of pharmacy technicians always measure blood pressure for a pharmacy visitor (p> 0.05). In addition, 88% of pharmacists and 86.7% of pharmacy technicians always ask how much salt pharmacy visitor consumes per day (p >0.05). In addition, the symptoms of arterial hypertension (AH) were asked: as many as 87.5% of respondents always ask about headache. The results revealed that 92% of pharmacists and 80% of pharmacy technicians always offer to change diet and avoid stress - 84% of pharmacists and 60% of pharmacy technicians. As many as 97.5% of respondents say that they always ask a pharmacy visitor who is suspected with hypertension if he/she is now taking antihypertensive drugs. Also, 85.0% of respondents say that they always check for possible drug interactions. Most pharmacy specialists offer pharmacy visitor to see their family doctor to prescribe long-term treatment. 77.5% of respondents are interested in the latest treatment methods of hypertension, and 70.0% of respondents are interested in prevention. Conclusions: The results revealed that pharmacy specialists are interested in the latest literature on both the treatment and prevention of hypertension. Some of the key tips that pharmacy specialists recommend for people with hypertension are to change their eating habits, avoid stress, and lose weight. As many as 96% of pharmacists and 93.3% of pharmacy technicians emphasize the benefits of salt reduction. It has been found that pharmacy specialists often emphasize the importance of adhering to a prescribed treatment regimen and order a doctor to prescribe long-term treatment. For short-term improvement, they suggest the use potassium, hawthorn preparations and heart drops