Patient Satisfaction with a Piloted Medication Review Program

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To evaluate patient satisfaction with an ongoing model of pharmacy intern led medication reviews at Mariposa Community Health Center (MCHC). The study also evaluated patients’ perceptions of pharmacist services performed by student pharmacists. Background: Rural communities, including Nogales, AZ are at a disadvantage with respect to health care access due to workforce shortages and limited healthcare facilities. With this study we aimed to identify if a pharmacy student provided post-discharge medication reconciliation is beneficial and well accepted by the patients of MCHC. Identifying additional roles for pharmacists and student pharmacists can improve access to care and patient satisfaction in this specific clinic. Design: This was a descriptive study. Methods: Electronic Medical Records were used to identify participants for a medication review conducted by a Pharmacy Intern. The student compared medication changes in the discharge note to the patient's medical chart from MCHC EMR database. For purposes of this quality improvement effort, patients who have completed a medication review were eligible to complete a telephonic satisfaction survey. The pharmacy intern who conducted the satisfaction survey at MCHC is fluent bi-lingual in Spanish. The surveys to measure satisfaction were translated into Spanish. This study only evaluated patient satisfaction and does not include assessment of clinical outcomes or other patient data. Results: The minimum survey score was 28 and maximum score was 35 out of 35. The mean score was 33.25±2.67. Overall, patient scores showed satisfaction with the medication review. The results may indicate that pharmacist intervention at discharge should be included for all patients.