Development and validation of a new drug-focused predictive risk score for postoperative delirium in orthopaedic and trauma surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium (POD) is the most common complication following surgery in elderly patients. During pharmacist-led medication reconciliation (PhMR), a predictive risk score considering delirium risk-increasing drugs and other available risk factors could help to identify risk patients. METHODS: Orthopaedic and trauma surgery patients aged ≥ 18 years with PhMR were included in a retrospective observational single-centre study 03/2022-10/2022. The study cohort was randomly split into a development and a validation cohort (6:4 ratio). POD was assessed through the 4 A's test (4AT), delirium diagnosis, and chart review. Potential risk factors available at PhMR were tested via univariable analysis. Significant variables were added to a multivariable logistic regression model. Based on the regression coefficients, a risk score for POD including delirium risk-increasing drugs (DRD score) was established. RESULTS: POD occurred in 42/328 (12.8%) and 30/218 (13.8%) patients in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Of the seven evaluated risk factors, four were ultimately tested in a multivariable logistic regression model. The final DRD score included age (66-75 years, 2 points; > 75 years, 3 points), renal impairment (eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m2, 1 point), anticholinergic burden (ACB-score ≥ 3, 1 point), and delirium risk-increasing drugs (n ≥ 2; 2 points). Patients with ≥ 4 points were classified as having a high risk for POD. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the risk score model were 0.89 and 0.81 for the development and the validation cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSION: The DRD score is a predictive risk score assessable during PhMR and can identify patients at risk for POD. Specific preventive measures concerning drug therapy safety and non-pharmacological actions should be implemented for identified risk patients.

Evaluation of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation at county hospitals in China: A multicentre, open-label, assessor-blinded, nonrandomised controlled study.

Background: Due to a lack of related research, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led medication reconciliation intervention in China. Methods: We conducted a multicentre, prospective, open-label, assessor-blinded, cluster, nonrandomised controlled study at six county-level hospitals, with hospital wards serving as the clusters. We included patients discharged from the sampled hospitals who were aged ≥60 years; had ≥1 studied diagnoses; and were prescribed with ≥3 medications at discharge. Patients in the intervention group received a pharmacist-led medication reconciliation intervention and those in the control group received standard care. We assessed the incidence of medication discrepancies at discharge, patients' medication adherence, and health care utilisation within 30 days after discharge. Results: There were 429 patients in the intervention group (mean age = 72.5 years, standard deviation (SD) = 7.0) and 526 patients in the control group (mean age = 73.6 years, SD = 7.1). Of the 1632 medication discrepancies identified at discharge, fewer occurred in the intervention group (1.9 per patient on average) than the control group (2.6 per patient on average).The intervention significantly reduced the incidence of medication discrepancy by 9.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) = -15.6, -3.6, P = 0.002) and improved patients' medication adherence, with an absolute decrease in the mean adherence score of 2.5 (95% CI = -2.8, -2.2, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in readmission rates between the intervention and control groups. Conclusions: Pharmacist-led medication reconciliation at discharge from Chinese county-level hospitals reduced medication discrepancies and improved patients' adherence among patients aged 60 years or above, though no impact on readmission after discharge was observed. Registration: ChiCTR2100045668.

Journey of medication reconciliation compliance in a lower middle-income country: a retrospective chart review.

OBJECTIVE: There were three main objectives of the study: to determine the overall compliance of medication reconciliation over 4 years in a tertiary care hospital, to compare the medication reconciliation compliance between paper entry (initial assessment forms) and computerised physician order entry (CPOE), and to identify the discrepancies between the medication history taken by the physician at the time of admission and those collected by the pharmacist within 24 hours of admission. METHODS: This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in a lower middle-income country. Data were gathered from two different sources. The first source involved retrospective data obtained from the Quality and Patient Safety Department (QPSD) of the hospital, consisting of records from 8776 patients between 2018 and 2021. The second data source was also retrospective from a quality project initiated by pharmacists at the hospital. Pharmacists collected data from 1105 patients between 2020 and 2021, specifically focusing on medication history and identifying any discrepancies compared with the history documented by physicians. The collected data were then analysed using SPSS V.26. RESULTS: The QPSD noted an improvement in physician-led medication reconciliation, with a rise from 32.7% in 2018 to 69.4% in 2021 in CPOE. However, pharmacist-led medication reconciliation identified a 25.4% (n=281/1105) overall discrepancy in the medication history of patients admitted from 2020 to 2021, mainly due to incomplete medication records in the initial assessment forms and CPOE. Physicians missed critical drugs in 4.9% of records; pharmacists identified and updated them. CONCLUSION: In a lower middle-income nation where hiring pharmacists to conduct medication reconciliation would be an additional cost burden for hospitals, encouraging physicians to record medication history more precisely would be a more workable method. However, in situations where cost is not an issue, it is recommended to adopt evidence-based practices, such as integrating clinical pharmacists to lead medication reconciliation, which is the gold standard worldwide.

[Concordance of medication prescription records in the hospitalised surgical patient]. / Concordancia de los registros de prescripción de medicamentos en el paciente quirúrgico hospitalizado.

INTRODUCTION: Electronic prescription is the prescription system that allows healthcare professionals to send medication prescriptions directly to community pharmacies and the outpatient unit of Hospital Pharmacy Services for dispensing. However, there is difficulty in obtaining a reliable pharmacotherapeutic history in chronic patients through electronic prescription upon hospital admission as a critical point for adequate treatment adaptation. Therefore, the pharmacist as a member of the multidisciplinary team must ensure, through medication conciliation, an adequate transition of care through the correct management of the treatment that the chronic patient requires during their hospitalization. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the quality of electronic prescription records for routine chronic treatment by analyzing the concordance of the electronic prescription. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study at the General University Hospital of Elche. Hospitalized patients in charge of the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Urology and Neurosurgery Services in which the responsible doctor requested medication reconciliation by the Pharmacy Service between January 2022 - December 2022 were included. RESULTS: 378 patients, 209 (55.3%) women and 169 (44.7%) men, with a mean age±standard deviation of 71.0±11.6 years and 69.0±11.8 years, respectively. The total percentage of patients with discrepancies in the electronic prescription with respect to the usual chronic treatment was 60.6%, reflecting that only 39.4% of the patients had non-discordant electronic prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of hospitalized surgical patients present discrepancies in the medications prescribed in the home electronic prescription, which justifies the importance of treatment reconciliation upon admission carried out by hospital pharmacists.

Estudio sobre las características de la información sanitaria en las conducciones entre centros penitenciario / Study of the characteristics of medical information in transfers between prisons

Introducción: La movilidad de la población penitenciaria precisa que la información transmitida en los traslados entre centros garantice una óptima continuidad asistencial. Objetivo: Valorar la calidad de la transmisión de información sanitaria cuando los internos son trasladados en conducción entre centros penitenciarios de todo el territorio español. Material y método: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal, consistente en la revisión de historias clínicas de los internos que transitaron por el Centro Penitenciario (CP) Madrid III en un periodo de tres meses. Todas las variables medidas fueron cualitativas, expresadas en frecuencias absolutas y relativas. Resultados: Durante ese tiempo, 1.168 internos transitaron por el CP Madrid III. Solo 21 procedían de centros penitenciarios de Cataluña, País Vasco o Navarra, cuya historia clínica es diferente a la del resto del Estado, y solo el 57,14% aportaban algún tipo de información sanitaria. Del resto de internos, el 70,79% aportaba algún tipo de información: el 63,90% del total tenía medicación prescrita y el 5% metadona. De aquellos que tenían medicación, el 89,10% la tenían prescrita en la prescripción electrónica, siendo correcta en el 98% de los casos. Respecto a la metadona, solo el 75,44% lo tenía prescrito electrónicamente, siendo correcta en todos los casos. La fecha de la última dosis administrada solo se indicó en el 72,40% de los tratamientos. Discusión: Solo el 34,70% de las historias presentaban una calidad óptima en cuanto a la información transmitida, siendo en el 2,50% de los casos la información recibida deficiente. El uso de herramientas informáticas facilita la transmisión de la información, reduce la carga de trabajo y mejora la seguridad del paciente.(AU)

Introduction: The mobility of the prison population creates a need for information transmitted in transfers between centers that can guarantee optimal care continuity. Objective: To assess the quality of transmission of health information when inmates are transferred between prisons in Spain. Material and method: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study, consisting of a review of medical records of inmates who passed through Madrid III Prison in a three-month period. All measured variables were qualitative, and were expressed in absolute and relative frequencies. Results: 1,168 inmates passed through Madrid III Prison in this period. Only 21 came from prisons in Catalonia, the Basque Country or Navarre, where their medical records are different from those in the rest of Spain, and only 57.14% provided some type of health information. Of the remaining inmates, 70.79% provided some type of information: 63.90% of the total had prescriptions for medication and 5% were prescribed with methadone. Of those taking medication, 89.10% were prescribed it in electronic prescriptions, which were correct in 98% of the cases. For methadone, only 75.44% had electronic prescriptions,which were correct in all cases. The date of the last dose administered was only indicated in 72.40% of the treatments. Discussion: Only 34.70% of the records presented optimal quality in terms of the information transmitted, and in 2.50% of the cases the information received was deficient. The use of computerized tools facilitates the transmission of information, reduces the workload and improves patient safety.(AU)

Improving Accuracy of Medication Reconciliation for Hospitalized Children: A Quality Project.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Medication reconciliation is a complex, but necessary, process to prevent patient harm from medication discrepancies. Locally, the steps of medication reconciliation are completed consistently; however, medication errors still occur, which suggest process inaccuracies. We focused on removal of unnecessary medications as a proxy for accuracy. The primary aim was to increase the percentage of patients admitted to the pediatric hospital medicine service with at least 1 medication removed from the home medication list by 10% during the hospital stay by June of 2022. METHODS: Using the Model for Improvement, a multidisciplinary team was formed at a children's hospital, a survey was completed, and multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were done focusing on: 1. simplifying electronic health record processes by making it easier to remove medications; 2. continuous resident education about the electronic health record processes to improve efficiency and address knowledge gaps; and 3. auditing charts and real-time feedback. Data were monitored with statistical process control charts. RESULTS: The project exceeded the goal, improving from 35% to 48% of patients having at least 1 medication removed from their home medication list. Improvement has sustained for 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of interventions including simplifying workflow, improving education, and enhancing accountability resulted in more patients with medications removed from their home medication list.

Drug stewardship in chronic kidney disease to achieve effective and safe medication use.

People living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often experience multimorbidity and require polypharmacy. Kidney dysfunction can also alter the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications, which can modify their risks and benefits; the extent of these changes is not well understood for all situations or medications. The principle of drug stewardship is aimed at maximizing medication safety and effectiveness in a population of patients through a variety of processes including medication reconciliation, medication selection, dose adjustment, monitoring for effectiveness and safety, and discontinuation (deprescribing) when no longer necessary. This Review is aimed at serving as a resource for achieving optimal drug stewardship for patients with CKD. We describe special considerations for medication use during pregnancy and lactation, during acute illness and in patients with cancer, as well as guidance for the responsible use of over-the-counter drugs, herbal remedies, supplements and sick-day rules. We also highlight inequities in medication access worldwide and suggest policies to improve access to quality and essential medications for all persons with CKD. Further strategies to promote drug stewardship include patient education and engagement, the use of digital health tools, shared decision-making and collaboration within interdisciplinary teams. Throughout, we position the person with CKD at the centre of all drug stewardship efforts.

Patient-perceived understanding of home-going medication with transitions of care services at a pediatric institution.

BACKGROUND: Transitions of care (TOC) is the coordination and continuity of health care as a patient transfers between different settings. This can include a wide range of services, such as medication reconciliation, patient counseling, bedside delivery of medications, and others that meet individual patient needs. In the pediatric population, patients are at increased risk of potential medication errors and subsequent harm owing to reduced patient and caregiver health literacy, limited dosage form availability, and errors in medication administration. The use of TOC services at the time of hospital discharge in this population has the potential to make a positive impact on patient safety and the treatment of medical conditions. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether patient-perceived understanding of home-going medications was greater in patients and/or caregivers who received medication bedside delivery and education from a pharmacy-led TOC service at a large pediatric academic medical center. The secondary objective was to determine whether the primary practice area of the pharmacist providing medication education led to changes in understanding of home-going medication(s). METHODS: Using institution-wide, patient satisfaction surveys from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, patient and caregiver responses were queried for 2 questions about home-going medications, relating to the understanding of administration and the potential adverse effects. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on TOC services received, as documented in the electronic medical record (EMR). Survey responses for each of the 2 questions were categorized as top-box percentage by study group. Hypothesis testing between study groups for the primary and secondary outcomes were conducted using chi-squared tests at an alpha of 0.05. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4. RESULTS: Of the 1159 patients included in the study, 441 received TOC services, deemed the intervention group, and 718 did not receive TOC services, deemed the control group. When the intervention and control group were asked about understanding of medication administration, 96.37% versus 93.18% of patients (P = 0.007) gave the most favorable response of "yes, definitely," respectively. Furthermore, 78.51% versus 77.44% of patients (P = 0.053) gave the most favorable response when asked about understanding potential medication adverse effects, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving TOC services by a member of the pharmacy team had a greater score for understanding of both medication administration and adverse effects. Furthermore, this greater score was consistent among the education provided by the inpatient and outpatient pharmacist.

Pharmacist-led medication reconciliation service for patients after discharge from tertiary hospitals to primary care in Singapore: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Medication discrepancies commonly occur when patients are transferred between care settings. Despite the presence of medication reconciliation services (MRS), medication discrepancies are still prevalent, which has clinical costs and implications. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of various stakeholders on how the MRS can be optimized in Singapore. METHODS: This is a descriptive qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews with 30 participants from the National Healthcare Group, including family physicians (N = 10), pharmacists (N = 10), patients recently discharged from restructured hospitals (N = 7) and their caregivers (N = 3) were conducted. All transcribed interviews were coded independently by three coders and inductive thematic analysis approach was used. RESULTS: Five core themes were identified. (1) The MRS enhanced healthcare services in various aspects including efficiency and health literacy; (2) There were several challenges in delivering the MRS covering processes, technology and training; (3) Issues with suitable patient selection and follow-up; (4) Barriers to scaling up of MRS that involve various stakeholders, cross-sector integration and environmental restrictions; and finally (5) Role definition of the pharmacist to all the stakeholders. CONCLUSION: This study identified the role of MRS in enhancing healthcare services and explored the challenges encountered in the provision of MRS from family physicians, pharmacists, patients and their caregivers. These findings supported the need for a shift of MRS towards a more comprehensive medication review model. Future improvement work to the MRS can be conducted based on the findings.

Exploring the Roles of Nurses in Medication Reconciliation for Older Adults at Hospital Discharge: A Narrative Approach.

Medication reconciliation (MR) is the process of comparing a patient's medication orders to all of the medications that the patient has been taking in order to identify and resolve medication discrepancies. It is an effective means of risk management to avoid medication errors (eg, omissions, duplication, dosage errors, or drug interactions). Some guidelines explicitly state that MR is a pharmacist-led transition of care; however, there is a shortage of qualified pharmacists to meet the increasing clinical needs, and clinical nurses' roles have not been clearly described. This paper aimed to enable nurses to gain confidence in contributing to MR at discharge and to make the industry aware of the potential risks if nurses do not actively intervene in this area. A narrative approach was used to introduce experiences in identifying discrepancies and medication errors through MR at discharge in a geriatric ward of an academic medical center hospital in China. The nurses' main roles in MR involve chasing, checking, and education. Clinical nurses, an untapped hospital resource, can actively engage in MR at discharge if they receive effective training and motivation. Multidisciplinary collaboration at discharge allowed many discrepancies to be reconciled before harming older patients. It is worth conducting further research in MR when discharging older adults, such as the cost-effectiveness of nurses' efforts, the value of electronic tools and the impact of MR-targeted education and training for nursing students and nursing staff.

A clinical-pharmaceutical medication reconciliation with patient interview for a medication review to identify drug-related problems in elective patients during hospital admission.

Background and aim: Drug-related problems (DRPs), e.g.drug-drug interactions (DDI), can lead to adversedrug reactions (ADRs) and thus complications during hospitalization. For this reason, such DRP, DDI and ADR should be identified and characterized as early as possible during hospital admission. We aimed to perform a clinical-pharmaceutical medication reconciliation in which patient-related information was collected and compared to drug-related information in a medication review. Investigations: During a 24-week-period, we consecutively invited patients electively admitted to Urology, Otolaryngology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, General and Visceral Surgery, and Oncology Departments of a 300-bed hospital. A clinical pharmacist performed a patient interview asking for medication, ADR, and adherence. The medication reconciliation considered packages for a brown-bag analysis, medication lists, and data from the clinical information-system (CIS). In a medication review, we matched patient-related information to drug-related information from the drug label, guidelines, drug-databases and websites to identify DRPs. Results: In the study, 356 patients (median age: 58 years) taking 1,712 drugs participated. Of all patients, 7.3% reported ADR and 10.7% missing adherence. 5.3% brought packages that enabled a brown-bag analysis and 21.1% a medication list. In 76.7% of patients, information from CIS was incomplete or not up-to-date. Among the most frequently identified DRPs were "Medication without diagnosis" (31.2%) and "Inappropriate timing of administration" (11.5%). The proportion of patients affected by severe DDI ranged from 0.8%-16.6%, depending on the drug information source. Conclusions: Incomplete patient data, frequently identified DRPs and inconsistent drug-based information make pharmaceutical involvement in medication reconciliation on admission a necessity.

A comprehensive study of prescribing, administering and drug handling medication errors in ten wards of a university hospital after implementation of electronic prescribing, clinical pharmacists or medication reconciliation.

Background and aim: Medication errors lead to preventable risks. Preventing strategies such as e-prescribing, clinical pharmacists and medication reconciliation have been implemented in recent years. However, information on long-term medication error rates in routine procedures is missing. Investigations: We aimed to identify predefined medication errors in ten wards of a university hospital where e-prescribing, clinical pharmacists and medication reconciliation have been partially implemented. Patient files were reviewed and routine processes were monitored for drug prescription errors (missing, unclear, outdated information), administration errors (wrong dispensed drugs) and drug handling errors (no light-, moisture-protection, wrong splitting, no separation of drugs, which ought to be taken by an empty stomach). Results: We analyzed 959 prescriptions with 933 solid peroral drugs for 182 patients (98 female, median age 66.5 years [Q25-Q75: 56-78 years]; the median number of drugs was 5 [Q25-Q75: 3-7]). The most frequent prescription error was a not specified drug form (91.1%). The most common administration error was a not adequately provided release dose formulation (72.7%). The lack of light protection for observed photosensitive drugs was the most frequent drug handling error (100%). We found a significantly higher amount of complete drug prescriptions with one of the implemented measurements e-prescribing, medication reconciliation and clinical pharmacists (Fisher's exact test two tailed, each p<0.001; CI 95%). Drug administration errors and drug handling errors were not significantly improved. Among the most frequently involved drug were drugs for acid-related disorders, immunosuppressant, and antineoplastic drugs. Conclusions: In the nearly 1,000 prescriptions and drugs analyzed, medication errors were still common. Various preventive strategies had been implemented in recent years, positively influencing the predefined errors rates.

Improving Patient Safety in Medication Management by Medication Reconciliation and Pharmaceutical Care Process in Post-Liver Transplant Clinic.

INTRODUCTION: Liver transplant recipients receive many medications for anti-rejection, infection prophylaxis, and treatment of comorbidities. Most of them also receive medications from multiple sources. Therefore, these patients are prone to drug-related problems (DRPs) and medication errors. This study aimed to study the effect of medication reconciliation (MR) and pharmaceutical care processes by transplant pharmacists in the post-liver transplant clinic. METHODS: This study was a retrospective study in Siriraj Liver Transplant Center, Mahidol University, Thailand. Patients who received pharmaceutical care from transplant pharmacists were compared before and after the implementation of MR (October 2020-September 2021 vs October 2021-September 2022) to assess the prevalence of medication errors and identify DRPs between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Before implementation of MR, in a total of 797 visits, 69 medication errors (8.7%) were found. The most errors were medication omissions (44.9%, n = 31). After the implementation of MR, in a total of 879 visits, 44 medication errors (5.0%) were found. Most were medication omission and incorrect strength (31.8%, n = 14). Medication errors significantly decreased by 36.2% (P < .001) after the implementation of MR. Regarding DRPs, transplant pharmacists could significantly detect more DRPs after implementation of MR, 66 DRPs before implementation of MR vs 111 DRPs after implementation of MR (P < .001). The most DRPs were non-adherence (34 vs 41). CONCLUSIONS: MR can reduce medication errors and assist transplant pharmacists in identifying DRPs that will lead to active intervention by attending physicians and/or patients to improve medication management and patient safety in post-liver transplant care.

Efecto del farmacéutico clínico en las reconsultas a los 30 días posalta del servicio de urgencias: ensayo clínico controlado / Effect of a clinical pharmacist on 30-day revisits following discharge from an emergency department: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Objetivos. Determinar el efecto de la inclusión del farmacéutico clínico en el servicio de urgencias (SU) en las reconsultas durante 30 días posalta y la satisfacción de los pacientes. Métodos. Ensayo clínico controlado, aleatorizado, paralelo y pragmático, realizado en el SU de un hospital universitario. Los pacientes reclutados fueron asignados aleatoriamente al grupo control (GC) que recibió la atención habitual o al grupo intervenido (GI) que recibió además la atención de un farmacéutico clínico, el cual se integró al equipo clínico para optimizar la selección, evaluación y educación farmacoterapéutica en el SU y al alta. El desenlace primario fue reconsultas no programadas 30 días posaltarelacionadas con la atención inicial al SU. Las diferencias entre grupos se analizaron por curvas de supervivencia de Kaplan-Meier y prueba de log-rank. La asociación entre intervención y tiempo al evento fue analizada mediante regresión multivariada de riesgos proporcionales de Cox y se expresó como hazard ratio ajustada (HRa). Resultados. Un total de 1.001 pacientes ingresaron al estudio (GI=500 y GC=501). Ambos grupos eran similares, predominaron las mujeres (61,5%), edad 51 años (RIC: 33-65). La intervención redujo significativamente las reconsultas a cualquier centro durante 30 días posalta comparado con GC [25 (6,3%) vs 66 (16,7%); HRa: 0,29 (IC 95%: 0,17-0,50)] y para el mismo centro [15 (3,0%) vs 32 (6,5%); HRa: 0,46 (IC 95%: 0,24-0,87)]. La satisfacción del usuario fue mayor en el GI que GC (87,2% vs 83,2%; p<0,05). Conclusiones. La inclusión del farmacéutico clínico en un SU reduce sustancialmente las reconsultas durante 30 días posalta y mejora la satisfacción de los usuarios. (AU)

Objectives. To evaluate a clinical pharmacist’s inclusion in emergency department (ED) care in terms of the effect on on 30-day revisits after discharge from the ED and patient satisfaction. Methods. Randomized, controlled parallel-group pragmatic trial in a university hospital ED. Recruited patients were randomly assigned to a control group for standard care only or an intervention group to receive standard care plus the attention of a clinical pharmacist integrated into the care team to optimize the selection and evaluation of medications and provide pharmacotherapeutic education on the patient’s discharge. The primary outcome was unplanned revisits within 30 days after discharge because of the same complaint that led to the initial ED visit. Between-group differences were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests. The association between the intervention and time to the outcome event was explored with multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results. A total of 1001 patients were enrolled (intervention, 500; control, 501). Patients in both groups were similar. A majority were women (61.5%), and the median age (interquartile range) was 51 years (33-65 years). The pharmacist’s intervention significantly reduced the number of 30-day revisits to any ED: 25 (6.3%) revisited vs 66 (16.7%) in the control group. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.17-0.50). Fifteen patients (3.0%) from the intervention group revisited the same ED vs 32 (6.5%) from the control group (aHR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.24-0.87]). More patients expressed satisfaction in the intervention group (87.2%) than in the control group ( 83.2%) (P<.05). Conclusions. Including a clinical pharmacist in ED care substantially reduces the number of 30-day revisits and increases patient satisfaction. (AU)

Efecto del farmacéutico clínico en las reconsultas a los 30 días posalta del servicio de urgencias: ensayo clínico controlado / Effect of a clinical pharmacist on 30-day revisits following discharge from an emergency department: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Objetivos. Determinar el efecto de la inclusión del farmacéutico clínico en el servicio de urgencias (SU) en las reconsultas durante 30 días posalta y la satisfacción de los pacientes. Métodos. Ensayo clínico controlado, aleatorizado, paralelo y pragmático, realizado en el SU de un hospital universitario. Los pacientes reclutados fueron asignados aleatoriamente al grupo control (GC) que recibió la atención habitual o al grupo intervenido (GI) que recibió además la atención de un farmacéutico clínico, el cual se integró al equipo clínico para optimizar la selección, evaluación y educación farmacoterapéutica en el SU y al alta. El desenlace primario fue reconsultas no programadas 30 días posaltarelacionadas con la atención inicial al SU. Las diferencias entre grupos se analizaron por curvas de supervivencia de Kaplan-Meier y prueba de log-rank. La asociación entre intervención y tiempo al evento fue analizada mediante regresión multivariada de riesgos proporcionales de Cox y se expresó como hazard ratio ajustada (HRa). Resultados. Un total de 1.001 pacientes ingresaron al estudio (GI=500 y GC=501). Ambos grupos eran similares, predominaron las mujeres (61,5%), edad 51 años (RIC: 33-65). La intervención redujo significativamente las reconsultas a cualquier centro durante 30 días posalta comparado con GC [25 (6,3%) vs 66 (16,7%); HRa: 0,29 (IC 95%: 0,17-0,50)] y para el mismo centro [15 (3,0%) vs 32 (6,5%); HRa: 0,46 (IC 95%: 0,24-0,87)]. La satisfacción del usuario fue mayor en el GI que GC (87,2% vs 83,2%; p<0,05). Conclusiones. La inclusión del farmacéutico clínico en un SU reduce sustancialmente las reconsultas durante 30 días posalta y mejora la satisfacción de los usuarios. (AU)

Objectives. To evaluate a clinical pharmacist’s inclusion in emergency department (ED) care in terms of the effect on on 30-day revisits after discharge from the ED and patient satisfaction. Methods. Randomized, controlled parallel-group pragmatic trial in a university hospital ED. Recruited patients were randomly assigned to a control group for standard care only or an intervention group to receive standard care plus the attention of a clinical pharmacist integrated into the care team to optimize the selection and evaluation of medications and provide pharmacotherapeutic education on the patient’s discharge. The primary outcome was unplanned revisits within 30 days after discharge because of the same complaint that led to the initial ED visit. Between-group differences were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests. The association between the intervention and time to the outcome event was explored with multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results. A total of 1001 patients were enrolled (intervention, 500; control, 501). Patients in both groups were similar. A majority were women (61.5%), and the median age (interquartile range) was 51 years (33-65 years). The pharmacist’s intervention significantly reduced the number of 30-day revisits to any ED: 25 (6.3%) revisited vs 66 (16.7%) in the control group. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.17-0.50). Fifteen patients (3.0%) from the intervention group revisited the same ED vs 32 (6.5%) from the control group (aHR, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.24-0.87]). More patients expressed satisfaction in the intervention group (87.2%) than in the control group ( 83.2%) (P<.05). Conclusions. Including a clinical pharmacist in ED care substantially reduces the number of 30-day revisits and increases patient satisfaction. (AU)

Harmonizing the definition of medication reviews for their collaborative implementation and documentation in electronic patient records: A Delphi consensus study.

BACKGROUND: Medication review practices have evolved internationally in a direction in which not only physicians but also other healthcare professionals conduct medication reviews according to agreed practices. Collaborative practices have increasingly highlighted the need for electronic joint platforms where information on medication regimens and their implementation can be documented, kept updated, and shared. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to harmonize the definition of medication reviews and create a unified conceptual basis for their collaborative implementation and documentation in electronic patient records (definition appellation: collaborative medication review). METHODS: The study was conducted using the Delphi consensus survey with three interprofessional expert panel rounds in September-December 2020. The consensus rate was set at 80%. Experts assessed the proposed definition of collaborative medication review based on an international and national inventory of medication review definitions. The expert panel (n = 41) involved 12 physicians, 13 pharmacists, 10 nurses, and six information management professionals. The range of response rates for the rounds was 63-88%. RESULTS: The experts commented on which of the pre-selected items (n = 75) characterizing medication reviews should be included in the definition of collaborative medication review. The items were divided into the following five themes and 51 of them reached consensus: 1) Actions included in the collaborative medication review (n = 24/24), 2) Settings where the review should be conducted (n = 5/5), 3) Situations where the review should be considered as needed and carried out (n = 10/11), 4) Prioritization of top five benefits to be achieved by the review and 5) Prioritization of top five patient groups to whom the review should be targeted. CONCLUSIONS: A strong interprofessional consensus was reached on the definition of collaborative medication review. The most challenging was to identify individual patient groups benefiting from the review.

Assessment of medication discrepancy, medication appropriateness, and cost analysis among patients with pediatric nephrotic syndrome: An ambispective cohort observational study.

BACKGROUND: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a commonly encountered chronic kidney disease in pediatric populations, with South Asian children being at high risk and requiring long-term pharmacological management. Thus, identifying medication discrepancies and evaluating the appropriateness of therapy and its economic burden are vital for inpatient management. The aim of the study was to assess medication reconciliation, medication appropriateness, and cost analysis in NS cases. METHODS: An ambispective cohort observational study was carried out with 150 NS patients where medication discrepancies were identified retrospectively and prospectively using the best possible medication history and following up patients correspondingly. Further, the Medication Appropriateness Index and cost variation analysis were used to assess the prescribed therapy and cost analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Out of 150 patients with NS included, 67.3% were male and the mean age was 7.2 years. In total, 36.7% medication discrepancies were found at baseline and 6% discrepancies at follow-up. The majority of discrepancies were unintentional and due to dosing error both at baseline and follow-up. Further, in only 2% of the patients was there inappropriately prescribed medication, and the majority of patients spent between INR (Indian Rupees) 500 and 1000. CONCLUSION: Chronic conditions like NS require continuous monitoring by the specialist pediatric clinical pharmacist, who can contribute significantly by minimizing the medication discrepancies, by assessing the appropriateness of therapy, and lessening the economic burden.

Medication Reconciliation as Repair Work.

In Norway, the process of developing a national shared medication list has been underway for several years. The shared medication list provides an overview of all the medications used by a patient. However, its proper use requires that it be maintained regularly through so-called medication reconciliation processes in which health personnel clarify - and ask patients - what and how much medication they use. We explore the work embedded in the bedside medication reconciliation process at a hospital, the health personnel conducting this work and the implications for the shared medication list. We argue that reconciliation processes can be conceptualized as collective repair work that needs to be continued after the shared medication list is implemented.