Study | Country | Study design | Risk of bias | Authors extracting data and assessing bias | Characteristics and number of participants | Setting | Contacts (n) | Timing of contacts | Length of follow-up observation | Collaboration with healthcare team |
Nazareth et al22 | UK | RCT | Low | DM, PB | Patients discharged from elderly care wards Intervention=181 Control=181 | Home visit by community pharmacist | 1 or 2 | 7–14 days | 3 and 6 months | Liaise with GPs |
Holland et al17 | UK | RCT | Low | DM, JM | Age >80 on two or more medicines Intervention=429 Control=400 | Home visit | 2 | 14 and 60 days | 6 months | Send report to GP |
Ho et al23 | USA | RCT | Moderate | DM, MR | Admitted to one of 4 Veteran Affairs hospital with acute coronary syndrome Exclude if used non-Veteran Affairs pharmacy Intervention=122 Control=119 | Primary care clinic | 2 | 7–10 days—visit 30 days phone call | 12 months | Send report to GP |
Duggan et al24 | UK | RCT | Moderate | DM, GM | Age 16–79 recruited by ward pharmacist Intervention=237 Control=264 | Community pharmacy | 0 | N/A | N/A | Not clear |
Hawes et al25 | USA | RCT | Moderate | DM, AR | Year 1: long-term condition or more than 3 admissions, or 8 or more medication Year 2: 8 or more medications Intervention=24 Control=37 | Primary care clinic | 1 | 3 days | 30 days | Seen prior to GP appointment |
Shcherbakova and Tereso26 | USA | Cohort | Moderate | DM, JM | Patients enrolled in health plan 180 days before admission Intervention=156 Control=89 | Home visit | 1 | 8 days | 30 days | Contact GP to authorise changes |
Kilcup et al27 | USA | Cohort | Moderate | DM, AR | Patients considered high risk for readmission Intervention=243 Control=251 | Home visit | 1 | 3–7 days | 30 days | Send report to GP |
Setter et al28 | USA | Cohort | Moderate | DM, GM | Age >50 transitioning from acute to home care with long-term condition Intervention=110 Control=110 | Home visit | 1 | Not clear | 60 days | Work with community nurses and send report to GP |
Tedesco et al30 | USA | Cohort | Moderate | DM, JM | Age >65 Intervention=34 Control=43 | Primary care clinic | 1 or 2 phone calls and follow-up face-to-face review if needed | Phone call within 3 days, face-to-face 7–14 days | 30 days | Discussed with GP |
Polinski et al31 | USA | Cohort | High | DM, JM | Considered high or moderate risk of readmission Intervention=131 Control=131 | By telephone or in patient home | Mean number contacts 5; details not fully reported | 3 days | 30 days | Contacted GP to arrange appointments and report medication changes and health concerns |
Zeitouni et al33 | USA | Cohort | High | DM, GM | Identified as high risk of readmission Intervention=72 Control=24 | Telephone | 1 | 2 days | 30 days | Arranged appointment with GP |
Boockvar et al29 | USA | Pre/post intervention | Moderate | DM, GM | Nursing home residents Intervention=87 Control=81 | Nursing home | 1 | 1 day | 60 days | Send report to GP who responds to each request |
Gray et al32 | UK | Pre/post intervention | High | DM, MR | Discharged from elderly care wards Intervention=41 Control=45 | GP practice | None | None | N/A | Email, send note or discuss with GP if needed |
Vuong et al34 | Canada | QI project—pre/post intervention | High | DM, JM | Nursing home residents Intervention=monthly sample of 10 patients | Nursing home | 1 | 2 days before nursing home admission | 90 days | Three-way telephone call— pharmacist, nurse and GP |
GP, general practitioner or primary care physician; N/A, not applicable; QI, quality improvement; RCT, randomised controlled trials.