The impact of pharmacist telephone calls after discharge on satisfaction of oncology patients: A randomized controlled study

Abstract

Purpose The aim of the study was to determine the impact of telephone follow-up calls on satisfaction in oncology patients after hospital discharge. Method A randomized controlled study, in which patients were randomized into two groups: The experimental group with the telephone follow-up (TFU) calls (intervention) and the control group (no intervention). The telephone follow-up call was conducted within 72 h after discharge. During the call, patients were asked about their medications, namely, whether they received them, understood how to take them, and whether they developed any medication-related adverse effect. Both groups were contacted by phone two weeks later to assess their satisfaction with the discharge medication instructions and the provided pharmaceutical services, using the 5-point Likert scale. In addition, hospital records were reviewed for emergency room visits and hospital readmissions within 30 days after discharge. Results There was no difference in the percentage of patients who reported being very satisfied between both the intervention and the control groups (45% intervention vs. 48% control, P = 0.68). The mean time of the intervention phone call was 3 ± 1.7 (SD) min. During the telephone follow-up call, medication-related problems were identified in 20% of the patients. There was no significant difference in emergency room visits and hospital readmissions in the intervention group vs. control (44% vs. 53%, P = 0.123) and (37% vs. 43%, P = 0.317), respectively. Conclusion Telephone follow-up calls conducted by a pharmacist to discharged oncology patients did not improve patients' satisfaction, emergency room visits or hospital readmissions; however, they helped to identify medication-related adverse effects in the oncology patients.