Service description and analysis for an interprofessional discharge clinic within a primary care practice

At care transitions, patients are susceptible to adverse events and medication errors that can lead to harm or hospital readmission. This study describes the services provided by an interprofessional discharge clinic (IDC) aimed to improve these transitions and the impact on 30-day readmission rate, medication errors, and interventions documented. Data were collected retrospectively using an electronic medical record and analysed using SAS data system. Among 167 discharged patients, 154 patients were seen by a physician only (PO) and 13 patients were seen in the IDC. Thirty-day readmission rates were 26.6% and 7.7% for patients in the PO and IDC groups, respectively (p = 0.19). Seventy patients (45.5%) in the PO group and 11 patients (84.6%) in the IDC group (p = 0.0082) were found to have at least one medication error. All patients seen at the IDC had an intervention made, while 68 (44.2%) seen by a PO received no intervention (p = 0.0009). While sample size was a major limitation, a statistically significant increase in identified medication errors and intervention documentation was found in the IDC group. It is critical that healthcare systems continue to develop new strategies, such as IDCs, to reduce hospital readmissions.