Improving Heart Failure Outcomes with Pharmacist–Physician Collaboration: How Close are we?

Improved management of chronic disease can improve health outcomes and has the potential to reduce health service costs. Heart failure is one of the chronic diseases in which improved management involving multidisciplinary care leads to improved health outcomes. Numerous studies have shown that multidisciplinary teams involving a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, health educator and/or a social worker can improve health outcomes for heart failure patients. Fewer studies have examined the effect of collaborative interventions that specifically involve pharmacists and physicians. This review focuses on the efficacy of pharmacist-physician collaborative medicines reviews in improving health outcomes for heart failure patients. The translation of results from randomized controlled trials to the practice setting is discussed, and barriers to the implementation of collaborative medicines reviews in practice are described.