RESUMO
UNLABELLED: Preventable medication errors impact substantially on the Australian healthcare system. Where 'poor communication of medical information at transition points is responsible for as many as 50% of all medication errors', a leading contributor for this type of medication error is lack of consumer knowledge about medicines information. This study was aimed at designing and testing the effectiveness of a consumer-healthcare professional partnership model towards effective medication reconciliation. This model aims to empower consumers about their medicines information, so that they would contribute more effectively to medication reconciliation and thereby minimise medication errors occurring at transition points. Components of this model were informed by qualitative data gleaned from patient opinion surveys, focus group sessions involving nurses, doctors and pharmacists working at the hospital and results of a literature search of medication safety tools. Programme development was informed by health improvement approaches centred on a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. Evaluation for effectiveness was conducted within a framework of a controlled before and after study. RESULTS: revealed that there was a 1.4-fold increase in the reporting rate of pharmacists intervention. The study could not demonstrate that the designed intervention was effective in minimising near-misses. However, there is statistically insignificant reduction in errors for patients that were correctly exposed to the intervention. Anecdotal evidence suggests there is utility for a patient population keen to claim greater ownership of their medicines information. Further, we advocate that patient education about medicines and the establishment of a consumer-healthcare professional model occur prior to ward admission.
Assuntos
Erros de Medicação/prevenção & controle , Reconciliação de Medicamentos/métodos , Modelos Teóricos , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto , Conhecimento do Paciente sobre a Medicação , Participação do Paciente , Atitude Frente a Saúde , Institutos de Câncer , Estudos de Coortes , Pesquisa Comparativa da Efetividade , Informação de Saúde ao Consumidor , Grupos Focais , Pesquisas sobre Atenção à Saúde , Implementação de Plano de Saúde , Hospitais Públicos , Humanos , Recursos Humanos em Hospital , Projetos Piloto , Estudos Prospectivos , VitóriaRESUMO
Influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus continues to rapidly spread worldwide. In 2009, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection in a domestic cat from Iowa was diagnosed by a novel PCR assay that distinguishes between Eurasian and North American pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus matrix genes. Human-to-cat transmission is presumed.