Transitional care that incorporates pharmacists can help reduce hospital readmissions for COPD patients, according to an article published in Pharmacy Times.
The article discussed recent studies involving pharmacists in the transition of care from hospitalization to discharge, suggesting that their involvement in medication dispensing and discharge counseling led to reduced 30- and 60-day COPD readmissions.
The primary composite was significantly lower in the pharmacist intervention group compared with usual care … driven by lower 30-day hospitalizations in the intervention group.
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The study concluded that a comprehensive, collaborative pharmacist transition of care service significantly reduced 30-day COPD related hospital readmissions, emergency department revisits, and associated costs in an underserved population.
The article also suggests that COPD patients who are minorities or of lower socioeconomic status “can potentially benefit most from the integration of a pharmacist.”
“When the readmission rate is high and unexplained, it may be a result of issues in the transition process and post-discharge management. This makes it imperative that healthcare providers in acute care settings carefully review the discharge process to diminish readmission risks,” the author wrote.
