Impact of Pharmacy Student and Resident-Led Discharge Counseling on Heart Failure Patients

Abstract

The goal of many healthcare systems' efforts is to prevent readmissions for heart failure. Pharmacists have the
knowledge and experience to properly instruct patients on the proper use of medications. However, there has been a
dearth of research on how patients with heart failure exacerbations fare after receiving discharge education from
pharmacy students and residents. The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of a dis charge
counseling program for patients with heart failure taught by pharmacy students and residents. The rate of readmission
within 30 days due to heart failure was the major outcome measure. Self-reported patient comprehension of drugs, the
number of recorded prescription mistakes, and the projected cost avoidance were secondary end objectives.
Conclusions: A total of 86 patients were included in the intervention group and 94 patients were enrolled in the control
group. There was no discernible change in readmission rates between the experimental and control groups. One
medication mistake or discrepancy was recorded for every 2.5 individuals counseled, for a total of 34 cases. This
resulted in an estimated savings of $4,241 for the institution. Ninety percent of patients who got discharge counseling
with a pharmacy resident or student felt they had a better grasp of their drugs. No significant change in readmission
rates was seen, however some medication mistakes were avoided and a high proportion of patient s reported feeling more
comfortable with their drug regimens.