Al‐Asseri 2001.

Methods	DETAILS OF STUDY AIM OF INTERVENTION: whether post‐discharge care counseling was a factor in improving patients' overall compliance with treatment in a hospital setting. AIM OF STUDY: To test whether counseling of surgical and cardiac patients by a pharmacist would improve patients' drug compliance. STUDY DESIGN: CCT. METHODS OF RECRUITMENT OF PARTICIPANTS: unclear. INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN STUDY: at least 3 medications and having a scheduled appointment at 8 weeks in hospital. EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN STUDY: mental illness. INFORMED CONSENT OBTAINED? yes. ETHICAL APPROVAL? unclear. FUNDING: unclear. ASSESSMENT OF STUDY QUALITY ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT: unclear. EPOC‐ QUALITY CRITERIA 2002: C.high risk of bias. METHOD OF GENERATING RANDOMISATION SCHEDULE: number assigned: odd number in control, even numbers in intervention. METHOD OF CONCEALMENT OF ALLOCATION: as above, no further information given. BLINDING: ·PARTICIPANTS: no. ·PROVIDER/S: no. ·OUTCOME ASSESSOR/S: no. INTENTION TO TREAT ANALYSIS: not stated. BASELINE COMPARABILITY OF INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS: not stated. STATISTICAL METHODS AND THEIR APPROPRIATENESS: chi‐square. CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT: not stated.
Participants	DESCRIPTION : cardiac patients / surgery patients. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Saudi Arabia. SETTING: discharged home from an acute care setting. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: ELIGIBLE: unclear. RANDOMISED TO INTERVENTION: 36. RANDOMISED TO CONTROL: 36. INCLUDED IN ANALYSIS INTERVENTION GROUP: 36. INCLUDED IN ANALYSIS CONTROL GROUP: 36. AGE: RANGE OR MEAN (SD): 18‐70. GENDER (% MALE): 50. ETHNICITY: unclear. PRINCIPAL HEALTH PROBLEM OR DIAGNOSIS: unclear. OTHER HEALTH PROBLEM/S: unclear. TREATMENT RECEIVED/RECEIVING: unclear. OTHER SOCIAL/DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS: not given.
Interventions	DETAILS OF INTERVENTION: A pharmacist counseled patients on day of discharge about indication of drug use, expected therapeutic outcome, dosage and method of administration, storage conditions, duration of therapy and what to do when a dose is missed. The pharmacist gave TFU every 3 days for up to eight weeks; also patients could call pharmacist when they needed further counseling. DETAILS OF CONTROL: usual care. CO‐INTERVENTION? yes. DETAILS OF CO‐INTERVENTIONS: access to the pharmacist by phone (in intervention group only) and counseling by pharmacist on discharge day (both groups). DELIVERY OF INTERVENTION: Frequency: 18. First time at day 3 after discharge. Period: 8 weeks (range 2 to 8) PROVIDERS: pharmacist. INTERVENTION QUALITY: unclear how much intervention was given in each patient. FIDELITY/INTEGRITY: unclear.
Outcomes	NUMBER OF OUTCOMES: 3. OUTCOME / TOOL / TOOL VALIDATED / METHOD OF ASSESSMENT / TIME OF ASSESSMENT: A.Psycho‐social health of patients (uncertainty, anxiety, informational needs, mood, coping, quality of life, social activity, ..): satisfaction / self‐developed / no / interview / 8 weeks after discharge. B.Physical health of patients (e.g. functional status, self‐care, self‐efficacy, independence, ..): C.Other consumer oriented outcomes (e.g. treatment adherence, knowledge, adverse events, ..): compliance / self‐developed / no / interview / 8 weeks after discharge. Drugs‐related side‐effects / self‐developed / no / interview / 8 weeks after discharge. D. Health service delivery oriented outcomes (eg. hospital readmission, health services utilization, ..):
Notes	·CHANGES IN TRIAL PROTOCOL ·CONTACT WITH AUTHOR ·POWER CALCULATION? ·RECORD IF THE STUDY WAS TRANSLATED FROM A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH. ·RECORD IF THE STUDY WAS A DUPLICATE PUBLICATION.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Allocation concealment?	Unclear risk	B ‐ Unclear