Objectives To develop and implement a pharmacist intervention plan in the management of patients with Parkinson's disease in an outpatient setting.

Methods Thirty-five patients (19 men, 16 women) with Parkinson's disease were recruited from the Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic at Zammit Clapp Hospital. An intervention plan was carried out during the first visit followed by evaluation during the second visit after 8 weeks. Intervention tools included a treatment medication chart, two patient leaflets and a pharmacist-run discussion with patients and their caregivers. Outcomes were measured using a Compliance Questionnaire, the PDQ-39 Quality of Life Questionnaire and an Intervention Evaluation Sheet. Data collected were entered into a spreadsheet for analysis of descriptive statistics and correlation studies.

Results All participants were Maltese with a mean age of 74 years. During the second visit, a statistically significant improvement was seen in patients' compliance with treatment compared with the first visit (p=0.000). The average domain dimension scores of the PDQ-39 questionnaire showed an overall improvement in the patients' quality of life with Mobility (p=0.038), Activities of Daily Living (p=0.006) and Social Support (p=0.01) showing a statistically significant improvement following the pharmacist's intervention. Fifteen patients were in favour of always having a pharmacist intervening.

Conclusions The inclusion of the hospital pharmacist in the multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals significantly improves patient and caregiver well-being through better medication compliance and improved health status.