Enhancing postpartum hypertensive care: Integrating pharmacy resident counseling at discharge

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of postpartum readmissions, with poor medication adherence contributing to adverse outcomes. This quality improvement initiative aimed to evaluate the impact of pharmacy resident-led counseling on medication adherence and 30-day readmission rates among postpartum patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

A quality improvement initiative was conducted in a tertiary care center in which a pharmacy resident was integrated into the inpatient obstetrics team to provide targeted antihypertensive counseling at discharge. The primary objective was to evaluate the impact of counseling on medication adherence and 30-day readmission rates. During the pilot phase, 77% of eligible patients received counseling and no hypertension-related readmissions occurred within 30 days, compared to an 8.3% readmission rate in the baseline phase. In follow-up telephone surveys conducted 4 to 6 weeks after discharge counseling, most patients reported adherence to antihypertensive medications; however, knowledge gaps regarding prescription refill procedures were identified.

Pharmacy resident-led counseling at discharge may reduce the number of hypertension-related readmissions and appears beneficial in supporting medication adherence. This intervention highlights the opportunities for expanding pharmacy roles in obstetric care.