Pharmacist Transition-of-Care Services Improve Patient Satisfaction and Decrease Hospital Readmissions | JoVE Visualize

Area of Science:

Health Services Research
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Patient Safety

Background:

The impact of pharmacist-led transitions-of-care (TOC) services on patient satisfaction, as measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys, remains unclear.
Evaluating the role of pharmacists in improving patient experience during care transitions is crucial for healthcare quality improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the effect of pharmacist-led TOC services on patient satisfaction regarding medication communication and care transitions.
To evaluate the impact of TOC services on 30-day hospital readmission rates.
To quantify potential medication safety events prevented and analyze prescription capture at the outpatient pharmacy.

Main Methods:

A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing TOC services between July 2018 and March 2019 was performed.
Intervention (INV) group patients received pharmacist medication reconciliation, education, and post-discharge follow-up calls.
Control (CON) group patients did not receive these specific pharmacist interventions.

Main Results:

A significant improvement of 14.7% in overall medication-related HCAHPS scores was observed post-TOC implementation (p < 0.0001).
Statistically significant increases were noted in HCAHPS questions related to understanding medication purpose and effects.
While overall readmissions were non-significantly decreased, discharge phone calls significantly reduced 30-day readmissions by 17.3% to 12.4% (p = 0.007).
Pharmacists potentially prevented 143 medication safety events and facilitated 562 prescriptions at the academic medical center outpatient pharmacy.

Conclusions:

Pharmacy-led transitions-of-care models effectively enhance patient satisfaction with medication management and care.
These services show promise in reducing hospital readmissions, particularly through post-discharge follow-up.
TOC initiatives by pharmacists can improve patient outcomes, prevent safety events, and contribute to pharmacy revenue.