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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03927820

A Pharmacist-Led Intervention to Increase Inhaler Access and Reduce Hospital Readmissions (PILLAR)

The goal of this study is to assess the impact of pharmacist-led benefits investigations and application of clinical practice guidelines on patient access to inhalers and time to hospital readmission or Emergency Department (ED) visit.

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Key information

Conditions

COPD Asthma Bronchial Diseases Chronic Disease Disease Attributes Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity, Immediate Immune System Diseases Lung Diseases Lung Diseases, Obstructive Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Hypersensitivity Respiratory Tract Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Vanderbilt Univeristy Medical Center

Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adult patient admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) (excluding surgery services)
  • on a long acting inhaler or prescribed a long acting inhaler during admission.

Exclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of cystic fibrosis
  • Diagnosis of graft versus host disease (GVHD)
  • no medication insurance
  • discharge to any post-acute care facility or inpatient hospice
  • death during hospitalization

Treatment and study plan

Benefits investigation

Other

The study pharmacist will review the prescribed inhaler for 1) insurance coverage and 2) clinical appropriateness. The pharmacist will conduct a benefits investigation at time of hospital admission. The benefits investigation involves running test claims for inhalers to determine the most cost-effective inhaler for the patient's insurance plan. The study pharmacist will utilize clinical practice guidelines to assess appropriateness of the prescribed inhaler. Based on this review, the study pharmacist will submit a pharmacy consult to the inpatient pharmacist on the patient's healthcare team who will pend the inhaler orders (changing the patient's prescribed inhaler, if necessary) for the prescriber to send to the Meds to Beds discharge pharmacy. The Meds to Beds pharmacist will counsel the patient on inhaler use techniques prior to discharge.

Primary outcomes

  1. Time to either hospital readmission or ER visit

    Time frame: 6 months

    Combined time (days) to either hospital readmission or emergency department visit after hospitalization (all outcomes measured at 6 months post-discharge with a 3 month interim analysis)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Frequency of ED visit

    Time frame: 6 months

    number of ED visits 6 months post-discharge

  2. frequency of hospital readmissions

    Time frame: 6 months

    number of hospital readmission 6 months post-discharge

  3. time to 1st ED visit (days)

    Time frame: 6 months

    time until the first ED visit post-discharge

  4. time to 1st readmission (days)

    Time frame: 6 months

    time until the first readmission post-discharge

  5. frequency of prescribed inhaler at discharge

    Time frame: 6 months

    number of times the recommended inhaler was prescribed at discharge

  6. frequency of short course prescription of oral steroid

    Time frame: 6 months

    number of oral steroid prescriptions in the 6 months post-discharge

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Other

Registry information

Acronym: PILLAR

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Apr 25, 2019
Registry last updated
Jul 27, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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