Background Lack of pharmacotherapeutic knowledge is the main cause of non-adherence and decreased patient outcomes upon discharge from hospital. Clinical pharmacists (CP) should encourage patients to seek counselling upon their discharge, as it motivates them to comply with their pharmacotherapeutic regimens and monitoring plans, and to report any unwanted adverse reactions. CP play a crucial role in educating the patient, being a drug expert and an active listener who can adapt the message to fit patients’ cultural background and knowledge.

However, there is insufficient evidence related to the most suitable method used by CP in counselling sessions and the measurement of patient satisfaction. All studies have discussed the impact of counselling on increasing adherence or decreasing readmission rate. None have focused on standardised methods of counselling to achieve best patient acceptance and satisfaction rates.

Purpose To evaluate the impact of usingthe Dosage, Results, Underlying issues, General Information (DRUG) (method in CP-driven patient discharge counselling on patients’ knowledge, acceptance and satisfaction rates.

Material and methods A 17 month prospective analysis was conducted on the medical and surgical floors where CP were contacted for patients’ discharge prescription counselling. CP used the DRUG method, documented the counselling session content in the patients’ chart and filled out a questionnaire assessing patients’ knowledge, acceptance and satisfaction rates.

Results Five hundred and thirty-three patients were counselled using the DRUG method: 100% accepted CP counselling after explanation of the content and purpose of the session. Counselling was dcarried out for patients (50.1% of cases), caregivers (18.2% of cases), and both patients and caregivers (31.7% of cases).

99.6% of patients were satisfied with the session and would request it in their next hospitalisation.

CP discussed the following during the counselling session: use of inhalers (12.6%), disease state (17.3%), drug pharmacology (71.7%), drug posology and administration (98.7%), drug side-effects and monitoring parameters (92.9%), drug interactions (30.8%) and others (10.7%).

Patient/caregiver knowledge was assessed by end of counselling in 99% of cases.

Conclusion This study shows the impact of using the DRUG method to cover all important aspects of medication counselling and the role of CP in increasing patients’ acceptance and satisfaction rates.

Further study should be conducted to assess the financial impact (for both patient and hospital) of discharge counselling using the DRUG method and the added value of follow-up calls after 48 to 72 hours of patient discharge.

No conflict of interest