Impact of a Transition of Care Pharmacist in a Community Hospital Discharge Model.

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacists can provide a variety of discharge services that aid in transitions of care. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a pilot program implementing a unit-based clinical pharmacist at a community teaching hospital.

Methods: This prospective study evaluated pharmacist-led discharge services on an adult medicine unit over a 5-week period. The control cohort received usual care, and the intervention cohort received additional pharmacy services (e.g., counseling, medication reconciliation, ensuring medication access, and overcoming discharge barriers). The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions. Secondary outcomes included emergency department (ED) utilization, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores, and patient satisfaction survey scores.

Results: Overall, 197 patients were included in the control group and 210 in the intervention group. Characteristics including previous hospital utilization, comorbidity count, and medication count at discharge were similar between groups. A reduction in 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions was observed in the cohort receiving pharmacist intervention, 13.3% versus 20.8% (p = 0.044). This study also demonstrated a significant decrease in ED utilization rates and improved patient satisfaction.

Conclusions: This study adds to the growing body of literature supporting transition of care pharmacists in the hospital discharge model to improve patient care.