Examination of the contribution of hospital pharmacists to medication guidance to avoid unexpected readmissions of patients discharged from hospitals to community-based care wards

Abstract

We examined whether medication instruction by hospital pharmacists functioned as a factor to avoid unexpected readmission for patients discharged from hospitals to community-based care wards.

Starting from May 1, 2017, when hospital pharmacists started drug management guidance work in hospitals for discharge to community-based care wards, we surveyed patients discharged between the period 75 days before (n=120) and 75 days after (n=137) the intervention. Medication guidance was not yet implemented in 76 patients (non-medication guidance group) and implemented in 61 patients (medication guidance group).

The number of unscheduled readmissions within 30 days after discharge was significantly lower in the group after the start of drug management guidance (8.8%) than in the group before the start of drug management guidance (17.5%) (p=0.02).

The number of unscheduled readmissions after the start of drug management guidance work was significantly lower in the medication guidance group (3.3%) than in the non-medication guidance group (13.2%) (p=0.03). Furthermore, the number of readmissions due to drug-induced factors was significantly lower in the medication guidance group (0.0%) than in the non-medication guidance group (6.6%) (p=0.04).

This study found that medication guidance by hospital pharmacists in the hospitals for discharge to community-based care wards significantly reduced unplanned readmissions due to drug-induced factors within 30 days of discharge.