47 mg/dL in patients who received pharmaceutical care, while the mean blood glucose values in the control patients increased by 19.4 mg/dL at the end of the study. This reduction in blood glucose level in the intervention group is an excellent achievement given that the service selleck inhibitor was provided for such a short period of time. A similar study conducted by Berringeret al. in two community pharmacies in the USA showed that blood glucose levels decreased in the intervention group by 19.3 mg/dL in 6 months.[17] The frequency of symptomatic episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia was significantly reduced in the intervention group. From the study, it is evident that the rural population knew very little about diabetes and lifestyle modifications.

The pharmacists?? intervention produced statistically significant improvements in the intervention group. The improved diabetes knowledge scores among the patients in the intervention group show that the participants successfully retained the information delivered over the duration of the study. A lack of knowledge about the disease and its management can be considered as an important reason for improper control of DM. Another study conducted in Bangalore in 2005 showed that patient counselling by pharmacists on diabetes significantly increased patients?? knowledge about all aspects of DM and its management.[17,18] The pharmacist is an integral member of a healthcare team and assumes varied functional roles including the procurement and supply of medicines to pharmaceutical care services and helping ensure that patients receive the best treatment.

Involvement of pharmacists in patient care has reduced the number of hospital admissions and patient visits for medical emergencies. As Dr. Hans V. Hogerzeil, WHO Director of Medicines Policy and Standards, said, ??Pharmacists have an important role to play in health care, which is much more than selling medicines.??[19,20] At the end of the study, the intervention group showed Batimastat a noticeable improvement in the mean of DCP subscale score. All the four subscales (health status [subscale I], understanding [subscale II], control problems [subscale III] and social and personal factors [subscale IV]) showed statistically significant improvements in the intervention group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS Community pharmacists are in a unique position to monitor and counsel rural patients with DM. The need for increased diabetes care presents an excellent opportunity for community pharmacists to become more involved in the management and follow-up of people with diabetes. This study demonstrates the positive impact that the community pharmacist can have in achieving the primary selleck chemical therapeutic goal in diabetes patients of overall diabetes control.