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Improving care transitions: the patient perspective
Courtney Cawthon1, Sheena Walia, Chandra Y Osborn
1Vanderbilt Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
Journal of Health Communication
|October 4, 2012
Summary
Patients found hospital pharmacist interventions highly beneficial for managing medications post-discharge. Key components included medication reconciliation, counseling, adherence aids, and follow-up calls, especially for those with low health literacy.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacy
- Patient Safety
- Health Literacy
Background:
- Hospital discharge can lead to adverse events and readmissions.
- Understanding patient perspectives on discharge interventions is crucial for improving transitions of care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate patient perspectives on the helpfulness of various components of a pharmacist-led hospital discharge intervention.
- To identify which intervention elements are most beneficial for patients, particularly those with limited health literacy.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 125 patients from the Pharmacist Intervention for Low Literacy in Cardiovascular Disease study participated.
- Patients were randomized to the intervention arm and completed a telephone survey on intervention component helpfulness.
- Intervention components included medication reconciliation, inpatient counseling, adherence aids, and telephone follow-up.
Main Results:
- A majority of patients found speaking with a pharmacist before discharge very helpful (72.8%), especially regarding medication use and side effect management.
- Illustrated medication lists (69.6%) and post-discharge telephone follow-up (68.0%) were also highly valued.
- Patients with limited health literacy reported the greatest benefits from the intervention.
Conclusions:
- Hospital pharmacist-based interventions are perceived as very helpful and empowering by patients.
- Interventions are particularly beneficial for patients with limited health literacy, improving medication management and comfort with outpatient providers.
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