Study: Enhanced Role of Pharmacists Contributes to Increase in Patient Satisfaction

Research presented Wednesday at the ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) 54th Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition in Las Vegas showed that patients who received focused attention from pharmacists during hospital stays expressed higher satisfaction.

The study— Pharmacists Transitions-of-Care Service Improves HCAHPS Scores and Decreases 30-day Hospital Readmission Rates

— focused on the effect of pharmacists putting emphasis on educating patients about medications as they transitioned out of hospital care. Pharmacists reconciled patients’ medication before discharge, talked with patients about the medication they were taking, and contacted them by phone after discharge to discuss their care, during the study.

In the study, 414 of 1728 patients included received the full transition-of-care education protocol, including a follow-up pharmacist phone call. This group showed a substantial increase of 14.7% in the overall average mean score, as measured by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey.

Hospital 30-day readmission rates dropped 5% when a post-discharge phone call was made to patients as a part of this study, as per a post-hoc analysis.

The research study team consisted of Katherine L. March, Pharm.D., BCPS, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist — Methodist University Hospital and Assistant Professor – University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy; Michael Peters, PharmD, BCPS; Christopher Finch, PharmD, FCCM, FCCP; Lauchland Roberts, PharmD; and Jennifer Twilla, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP.

REFERENCE

Study finds enhanced role of pharmacists contributes to increase in patient satisfaction [news release]. Las Vegas, NV; December 11, 2019: ASHP website. https://midyear.ashp.org/About/For-Media/Study-Finds-Enhanced-Role-of-Pharmacists-Contributes-to-Increase-in-Patient-Satisfaction. Accessed December 11, 2019.