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On May 5, 2015, UBC’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences launched its EmPhAsIS Study (Empowering Pharmacists in Asthma Management through Interactive SMS) led by Dr. Mary De Vera.
The study, funded by the College of Pharmacists of BC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, focuses on a simple intervention of enhanced involvement of community pharmacists in asthma management by supporting them with mobile health technology (mHealth).
The EmPhAsIS Study equips participating community pharmacies across British Columbia with mHealth to interact with their patients. Asthma patients recruited into the study will receive education and support through monthly text messages to assess adherence with their asthma therapy and follow-up from their pharmacist if their text message responses signal a potential non-adherence problem.
The aim of the study is to emphasize the role of community pharmacists as champions for adherence, by supporting practice with a simple but ubiquitous mHealth technology that provides a means for communication with patients and the opportunity to efficiently monitor adherence.
Pharmacists are ideally suited for the study as they more frequent contact with patients – up to eight times more than physicians – and adherence rates for patients with asthma are as low as 22%.
There are currently 35 pharmacies across British Columbia who are participating in the EmPhAsIS Study. EmPhAsIS Study pharmacies are provided with training to conduct the study by phone, webinar, workshops, or local site visits, along with all study materials, on-going support through-out the study, access to resources, and finally, recognition to the pharmacy as a research partner.
To participate in the study, please contact the UBC research team or visit the EmPhAsIS website or contact:
Louise Gastonguay
Research Coordinator
604-827-1567
[email protected]
Dr. Mary De Vera, Principal Investigator
604-827-2138
[email protected]
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