Impact of pharmacist counseling intervention to improve health-related quality of life in pulmonary tuberculosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) often leads to impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The study evaluates the impact of a pharmacist-led educational counseling intervention on the HRQOL in individuals with PTB. Methods: This single-blind, randomized controlled trial employed a parallel-group design at a tertiary care hospital in Malaysia. A total of 206 adults diagnosed with PTB were randomized (1:1) to receive either standard care under the directly observed therapy (DOT) strategy (control group) or DOT plus structured pharmacist-led counseling (intervention group) for 6 months. HRQoL was assessed at baseline and at treatment completion using the EQ-5D-3L and visual analog scale (VAS). Data analyses were performed using SPSS. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the control group and the intervention group on the quality-of-life scores post-intervention. Baseline HRQoL was comparable between groups (P >0.05). At treatment completion, significant improvements were observed in the intervention group compared with the control group for self-care (P = 0.03), mobility (P = 0.05), and pain/discomfort (P = 0.01). Mean VAS scores were also higher in the intervention group (P <0.001). Conclusions: Pharmacist-led education and counseling interventions significantly improve the quality of life of patients with PTB.