Perspectives

Outcomes Study: Implementation of the PozQoL in a Specialty Pharmacy Setting: Assessing the Impact of Pharmacist Interventions to Improve Quality of Life in People with HIV

Written by admin | Oct 10, 2024 2:57:06 PM

Members of our team had the opportunity to present a new poster abstract at several conferences, including the American Conference for the Treatment of HIV, GLMA's Annual Conference on LGBTQ+ Health, and the NASP 2024 Annual Meeting.

 

Authors

Advit Shah, BSc., BSc. Pharmacy, RPh, SCS | Khang Tran, PharmD | Andrew Wash, PharmD, PhD | Abbas Dewji, PharmD | Lily Duong, PharmD | Ana Lopez-Medina, PharmD, PhD | Amanda K. Cooper, PharmD

 

Background

  • People with HIV (PwHIV) face unique challenges, including stigma and mental health issues, that can significantly impact quality of life (QoL).1
  • Incorporating the measurement of QoL into the management of PwHIV can be a way to evaluate disease impact, assess for challenges being faced, and provide assistance as necessary.
  • The PozQoL is a 13-item, validated tool that holistically measures the health, functional, social, and psychological well-being of PwHIV, informing better resource allocation and policy development.2
  • The PozQoL has shown a positive impact on the lives of PwHIV by improving services and support through targeted QoL assessments.3
  • The PozQoL helps track QoL changes over time, supporting effective interventions and contributing to the reduction of stigma associated with HIV via robust data collection that can guide pharmacies in providing essential training resources.3
  • Specialty pharmacies have high-touch relationships with PwHIV taking antiretroviral medications and are ideally positioned to measure and act on QoL information from PwHIV.

Objectives

  • To assess the impact of interventions performed by specialty pharmacists aimed at improving QoL in PwHIV.

 

Read about the team’s findings by downloading the outcomes study below.