Objective: To develop and test a simple medication-focused patient counseling intervention\nat hospital discharge, with the aim of improving patient satisfaction. Methods: The intervention\nwas developed during a workshop and carried out by pharmaconomists. The final intervention\ncomprised preparing information for the discharge counseling, medication reconciliation, discussion\nwith physician, patient counseling at discharge, medication report to primary care physician, and\nphone follow-up three days after discharge. The intervention was tested against usual care in a\ngastrointestinal surgical unit in a feasibility study, using the setup of a randomized controlled trial,\nwith patient satisfaction as the primary outcome. Results: A total of 85 patients were invited to\nparticipate in the study. Following refusals (n = 11) and exclusions (n = 10), 32 patients were included\nin each trial arm (median age of 66.5 years; 52% males; median admission length of seven days).\nPatient satisfaction was high in both groups, with 75% (intervention) and 91% (control) reporting\nbeing overall satisfied with the discharge process (p = 0.10). No other differences between the groups\nwere identified. Conclusions: The intervention did not result in improved patient satisfaction. This is\nlikely attributed to the low number of patients included, the high satisfaction at baseline, and the lack\nof a validated tool to measure patient satisfaction. The developed intervention and study findings\ncan inform future studies.
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