Methodology to evaluate the impact of a community Pharmacy-based Educational Program to Limit SABA Overuse

Overreliance on SABAs can lead to poor asthma control, increased risk of exacerbations, and potentially fatal issues. This methodology aims to evaluate the impact of an educational program on SABA overuse. The experimental study design aims to compare the impact of the pharmacy-based educational program on the SABA overuse in a cohort of patients with asthma. The study will include an intervention group and a control group. Participants who give informed consent will be recruited with inclusion criteria based on a diagnosis of asthma and a history of SABA overuse. The study group will benefit from the educational program. The control group will receive standard care, just delivering the medical prescription without the additional educational intervention. Baseline data on SABA use, asthma control, and inhaler technique will be collected from both groups. The intervention will be implemented over twelve months, after which post-intervention data will be collected to compare the outcomes between the intervention and control groups. The primary outcome measure will be reduced SABA overuse, assessed through objective measures such as the number of SABA refills and adherence to SABA use guidelines. Secondary outcome measures will include improvements in asthma control scores, changes in rescue medication use, and the frequency of asthma exacerbations. Statistical analysis will be conducted to compare the outcomes between the intervention and control groups. Descriptive statistics, such as means and standard deviations, will characterize the baseline and post-intervention data. Inferential statistics, such as t-tests or chi-square tests, will be utilized to assess the significance of differences between the two groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the proposed methodology provides a framework for rigorously evaluating the impact of a pharmacy-based educational program on banning SABA overuse in patients with asthma.