Association of pharmacist counseling with adherence, 30-day readmission, and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Objective(s): To determine the association of pharmacist medication counseling with medication adherence, 30-day hospital readmission, and mortality.

Methods: The initial search identified 21,590 citations. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 62 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (49 for the meta-analysis) were included in the final analysis. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.

Results: The participants in most of the studies were older patients with chronic diseases who, therefore, were taking many drugs. The overall methodologic quality of evidence ranged from low to very low. Pharmacist medication counseling versus no such counseling was associated with a statistically significant 30% increase in relative risk (RR) for medication adherence, a 24% RR reduction in 30-day hospital readmission (number needed to treat = 4.2), and a 30% RR reduction in emergency department visits. RR reductions for primary care visits and mortality were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The evidence supports pharmacist medication counseling to increase medication adherence and to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions and emergency department visits. However, higher-quality RCT studies are needed to confirm or refute these findings.