title: Role of pharmacist counseling in pharmacotherapy quality improvement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hospitalization and subsequent discharge home often involve discontinuity of care, multiple changes in medication regimens, and inadequate patient education regarding the instruction of drug use, respiratory devices, and disease information and also lack of information about the drug's side effects that can lead to medication nonadherence and low level of treatment satisfaction. Hence, we decided to design a study to determine the effect of patient counseling at discharge and also their follow-up by pharmacist on their treatment satisfaction and medication adherence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total number of 154 patients within the age of 18-65 years old participated in the study from August 2013 to March 2014. Patients in the intervention group received pharmacist counseling and necessary education about their prescribed medications at discharge. We set up two follow-up schedules for this group and one for control group, and then we compared the medication adherence and satisfaction in two groups. The primary outcome of this study was a significant increase in adherence to medication regimen and treatment satisfaction of the case group compare to control group after the intervention of pharmacist at the time of discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences in medication adherence and satisfaction between the groups at the time of second follow-up. Medication adherence in the study group is 42.9% more than the control group, also the treatment satisfaction determined to be 33.5% more than patients in control group. Furthermore, we found that, in intervention group, no one is readmitted while among the patients in control group eight people readmitted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Counseling patients at the time of discharge and regular follow-up improves patient's medication adherence and treatment satisfaction and consequently improves clinical outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Yalda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sanii
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Care Department, Dr. Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Torkamandi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Research Centre for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Kheirollah
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.affiliation: Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Naser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hadavand
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Research Centre for Rational Use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Javadi
keywords: Medication counseling; patient's education; respiratory diseases