TY - JOUR

T1 - Developing a pharmacist-led intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients

T2 - A collaboration between hospital and community pharmacists

AU - Lech, Laura Victoria Jedig

AU - Rossing, Charlotte Verner

AU - Andersen, Trine Rune Høgh

AU - Nørgaard, Lotte Stig

AU - Almarsdóttir, Anna Birna

N1 - © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - BackgroundPatients who transfer from the hospital back to the community are at risk of experiencing problems related to their medications. Hospital pharmacists (HPs) and community pharmacists (CPs) may play an important role and provide transitional pharmaceutical care in transition of care interventions.ObjectiveTo describe how a pharmacist-led intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients was developed, utilizing already existing pharmacist interventions in the hospital and community pharmacy.MethodsA mixed-method approach to intervention development was applied. Existing evidence was identified through a literature review of effective transitional care interventions and existing services in the hospital and community pharmacy. Focus group interviews and a workshop were carried out with HPs and CPs to identify their perceived facilitators and uncertainties in relation to intervention development. The final intervention and the expected outcomes were developed in an expert group workshop. Finally, the hospital part of the intervention was tested in a small-scale feasibility study to assess what type of information the HP would transfer to the CP for follow up.ResultsFive components were identified through the 209 systematic reviews: pharmacist-led medication reconciliation, pharmacist-led medication review, collaboration with general practitioners (GPs), post discharge pharmacist follow up and patient counseling or education. HPs and CPs identified uncertainties related to the relevance of the information sent from the HP to the CP, identification of patients at the community pharmacy and communication. The expected outcomes for the patients receiving the intervention were an experience of increased safety and satisfaction and less use of healthcare resources. The feasibility study led to optimization of language and structure of the pharmacist referrals that were used to transfer information from the HP to the CP.ConclusionA patient centered intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients was developed using existing evidence in transition of care, HPs and CPs, an expert group, and a small-scale feasibility study. A full-scale feasibility test of the intervention should be carried out for it to be further refined.

AB - BackgroundPatients who transfer from the hospital back to the community are at risk of experiencing problems related to their medications. Hospital pharmacists (HPs) and community pharmacists (CPs) may play an important role and provide transitional pharmaceutical care in transition of care interventions.ObjectiveTo describe how a pharmacist-led intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients was developed, utilizing already existing pharmacist interventions in the hospital and community pharmacy.MethodsA mixed-method approach to intervention development was applied. Existing evidence was identified through a literature review of effective transitional care interventions and existing services in the hospital and community pharmacy. Focus group interviews and a workshop were carried out with HPs and CPs to identify their perceived facilitators and uncertainties in relation to intervention development. The final intervention and the expected outcomes were developed in an expert group workshop. Finally, the hospital part of the intervention was tested in a small-scale feasibility study to assess what type of information the HP would transfer to the CP for follow up.ResultsFive components were identified through the 209 systematic reviews: pharmacist-led medication reconciliation, pharmacist-led medication review, collaboration with general practitioners (GPs), post discharge pharmacist follow up and patient counseling or education. HPs and CPs identified uncertainties related to the relevance of the information sent from the HP to the CP, identification of patients at the community pharmacy and communication. The expected outcomes for the patients receiving the intervention were an experience of increased safety and satisfaction and less use of healthcare resources. The feasibility study led to optimization of language and structure of the pharmacist referrals that were used to transfer information from the HP to the CP.ConclusionA patient centered intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients was developed using existing evidence in transition of care, HPs and CPs, an expert group, and a small-scale feasibility study. A full-scale feasibility test of the intervention should be carried out for it to be further refined.

U2 - 10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100177

DO - 10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100177

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36131887

VL - 7

JO - Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy

JF - Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy

SN - 2667-2766

M1 - 100177

ER -