Analysis of clinical outcomes in older individuals who received pharmaceutical care and posthospital discharge follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Previous evidence underscores the need to assess potential clinical outcomes resulting from pharmaceutical care interventions and to monitor patient's progress to evaluate their clinical evolution, which is crucial for bolstering the relevance of implementing pharmaceutical care in healthcare services. AIMS: To conduct an in-depth analysis of pharmaceutical care practices in a geriatric ward and monitor the clinical outcomes of older people served. METHODS: This interventionist study was conducted in the geriatrics ward of a Brazilian university hospital. The research intervention occurred between January and May 2022, with a follow-up conducted for up to 90 days after patients' hospital discharge. Older patients in the geriatrics ward received pharmaceutical care, including medication reconciliation, medication review, and pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, aimed at identifying and resolving drug-related problems (DRPs). The clinical relevance of DRPs and pharmaceutical recommendations was evaluated. Additionally, analyses were conducted on mortality and rehospitalization outcomes in older patients at 30, 60, and 90 days following initial hospital discharge. RESULTS: Of the patients evaluated, a significant 88.3% exhibited at least one DRP (with an average of 2.6 ± 1.9 DRPs per patient), with the majority classified as need/indication problems (38.9%). The acceptance rate of pharmaceutical recommendations was 80.9%, with the majority categorized as very significant relevance (60.4%). DRPs were predominantly of serious clinical relevance (50.9%). In patients whose clinical indicators could be monitored, 95.5% showed some clinical response (in vital signs, laboratory tests and/or clinical status evolution) potentially related to resolved DRPs. Association analysis revealed that a higher number of medications in use before hospitalization correlated with a greater identification of DRPs during hospitalization (p = 0.03). At hospital discharge, 23.6% of patients were no longer using polypharmacy. In total, 16 patients (26.7%) died during the study period. Among patients who did not die during hospitalization (n = 54), 20 patients (37%) experienced rehospitalizations within 90 days following discharge. CONCLUSION: This study facilitated the consolidation of pharmaceutical care implementation in a geriatric ward. We conducted identification, evaluation, and proposed evidence-based solutions, as well as monitored cases for outcome analysis. It is anticipated that this methodology will inspire future research and the implementation of pharmaceutical care-related services.

The role of the pharmacist in the hospital discharge of cancer patients: an integrative review.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with cancer need care from a multidisciplinary team due to the complexity of the clinical picture and proposed treatment. Hospital discharge is a critical step, because pharmacotherapy changes may occur during hospitalization, leading to potential medication-related problems at home. OBJECTIVE: To identify publications which describe the activities performed by the pharmacist at the hospital discharge of patients with cancer. METHOD: This is an integrative systematic literature review. A search was carried out in the MEDLINE databases, via Pubmed, Embase, and Virtual Health Library, using the following descriptors: "Patient Discharge", "Pharmacists", "Neoplasms." Studies that reported activities performed by the pharmacist at the hospital discharge of patients with cancer were included. RESULTS: Five hundred and two studies were identified, of which seven met the eligibility criteria. Most were conducted in the United States (n = 3), and the rest in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, and Italy. Among the services provided by the pharmacist at discharge, medication reconciliation was the most widely described. Other activities such as counseling, education, identification, and resolution of drug-related problems were also carried out. CONCLUSION: In the scenario of hospital discharge of patients with cancer, the participation of pharmacists is still to be seen as of significance in regards to publications. Despite this, the results suggest that the actions of this professional contribute to patient orientation and the safe use of prescription drugs for use at home.

Medication reconciliation in pediatrics: a validation of instruments to prevent medication errors.

OBJECTIVES: to develop and validate the content of two instruments for promoting medication reconciliation for the transition of care of hospitalized children. METHODS: methodological study, conducted in five stages: scope review for conceptual structure; elaboration of the initial version; content validation with five specialists using the Delphi technique; reassessment; and construction of the final version of the instruments. A content validity index of at least 0.80 was adopted. RESULTS: three rounds of evaluation were carried out to reach the validity index of the proposed contents, whereas a new analysis of 50% of the 20 items of the instrument aimed at families, and 28.5% of the 21 items aimed at professionals was necessary. The instrument aimed at families reached an index of 0.93, and the instrument for professionals, 0.90. CONCLUSIONS: the proposed instruments were validated. It is now possible to proceed with practical implementation studies to identify their influence on safety during medication reconciliation at transition of care.

Tecnologia computacional e participação do paciente na segurança medicamentosa: revisão integrativa / Computational technology and patient participation in medication safety: integrative review / Tecnología computacional y participación del paciente en la seguridad de los medicamentos: revisión integradora

Objetivou-se investigar as tecnologias computacionais utilizadas para a participação do paciente no tocante à segurança medicamentosa em ambiente hospitalar. Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa realizada entre julho a dezembro de 2022, sem recorte temporal, nas bases de dados Web of Science, CINAHL e MedLINE. Os resultados consistiram em 117 artigos, dos quais 16 foram incluídos no estudo. Verificou-se que as tecnologias computacionais desenvolvidas foram: aplicativos móveis, plataformas interativas e prontuário eletrônico. Destaca-se que o tablet foi o recurso mais utilizado para o acesso das informações pelos pacientes, e que estes apresentaram satisfação moderada a elevada quanto ao uso do equipamento. No tocante ao sistema de medicação, verificou-se que oito publicações citavam que o respectivo produto tecnológico testado era específico à etapa de administração dos medicamentos, duas na prescrição e administração, e apenas uma integrava pelo menos três etapas, a saber: prescrição, dispensação e administração. Conclui-se que a participação do paciente se dá mediada por aplicativos móveis via tablet, evidenciando possibilidades para melhorar a segurança medicamentosa durante a internação hospitalar.

The objective was to investigate the computational technologies used for patient participation regarding drug safety in a hospital environment. This is an integrative review carried out between July and December 2022, without a time frame, in the Web of Science, CINAHL and MedLINE databases. The results consisted of 117 articles, of which 16 were included in the study. It was found that the computational technologies developed were: mobile applications, interactive platforms and electronic medical records. It is noteworthy that the tablet was the most used resource for accessing information by patients, and that they showed moderate to high satisfaction with the use of the equipment. With regard to the medication system, it was found that eight publications mentioned that the respective technological product tested was specific to the medication administration stage, two in the prescription and administration, and only one integrated at least three stages, namely: prescription, dispensing and administration. It is concluded that the patient's participation is mediated by mobile applications via tablet, highlighting possibilities to improve medication safety during hospitalization.

El objetivo fue investigar las tecnologías computacionales utilizadas para la participación del paciente en relación con la seguridad de los medicamentos en un entorno hospitalario. Se trata de una revisión integradora realizada entre julio y diciembre de 2022, sin marco temporal, en las bases de datos Web of Science, CINAHL y MedLINE. Los resultados consistieron en 117 artículos, de los cuales 16 fueron incluidos en el estudio. Se encontró que las tecnologías computacionales desarrolladas fueron: aplicaciones móviles, plataformas interactivas e historias clínicas electrónicas. Cabe destacar que la tableta fue el recurso más utilizado para acceder a la información por parte de los pacientes, y que éstos mostraron una satisfacción de moderada a alta con el uso del equipo. Con relación al sistema de medicación, se encontró que ocho publicaciones mencionaron que el respectivo producto tecnológico probado era específico para la etapa de administración de medicamentos, dos en la prescripción y administración, y sólo una integró por lo menos tres etapas, a saber: prescripción, dispensación y administración. Se concluye que la participación del paciente está mediada por aplicaciones móviles a través de tablet, destacando las posibilidades de mejorar la seguridad de la medicación durante la hospitalización.

Conciliação medicamentosa na admissão de pacientes transplantados renais em um hospital universitário / Medication reconciliation in the admission of kidney transplant patients to a university hospital

Introdução:O presente estudo considerou conciliações medicamentosas realizadas na admissão hospitalar de pacientes transplantados renais e intervenções farmacêuticas decorrentes desse processo.Métodos:Trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado no período de julho de 2018 a julho de 2019 no Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. Foram coletadas as características dos pacientes, as conciliações medicamentosas realizadas pelo farmacêutico clínico, as discrepâncias identificadas pelo mesmo (intencionais e não intencionais) e o resultado das intervenções. Os medicamentos foram classificados de acordo com a Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC).Resultados:Dos 719 pacientes acompanhados pelo farmacêutico clínico, 175 tiveram a conciliação medicamentosa de admissão realizada, desses, 56 apresentaram discrepâncias não intencionais. Encontramos a média de 2,2 medicamentos omissos por prescrição com desvio padrão de 1,3 medicamentos. No total, foram realizadas 122 intervenções farmacêuticas, sendo que em 61,5% houve adesão por parte da equipe médica. A classe terapêutica com maior ocorrência (43,4%) de discrepâncias não intencionais foi a que atuava sobre o aparelho cardiovascular. As variáveis observadas foram sexo, número de medicamentos nas intervenções (ambas com associação significativa com a adesão médica), idade, tempo de internação, número de medicamentos na internação e número de medicamentos de uso prévio (estas últimas sem associação significativa com a adesão médica). Conclusões:A conciliação medicamentosa previne possíveis erros de medicação, uma vez que a identificação das discrepâncias não intencionais na prescrição médica gera sinalizações que são levadas pelo farmacêutico clínico à equipe assistente, a fim garantir o uso seguro e correto dos medicamentos durante a internação hospitalar.

Introduction:This study considered medication reconciliations performed on hospital admission of kidney transplant patients and pharmaceutical interventions resulting from this process.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study carried out from July 2018 to July 2019 at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. The characteristics of the patients, the medication reconciliations performed by the clinical pharmacist, the discrepancies identified by the same (intentional and unintentional) and the result of the interventions were collected. The drugs were classified according to the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC). Results:Of the 719 patients monitored by the clinical pharmacist, 175 had medication reconciliation on admission performed, of which 56 had unintentional discrepancies. We found an average of 2.2 missing medications per prescription with a standard deviation of 1.3 medications. In total, 122 pharmaceutical interventions were performed, and in 61.5% there was adherence by the medical team. The therapeutic class with the highest occurrence (43.4%) of unintentional discrepancies was that which acted on the cardiovascular system. The variables observed were gender, number of medications in interventions (both with a significant association with medical adherence), age, length of stay, number of medications in hospitalization and number of medications previously used (the latter without a significant association with medical adherence).Conclusions:Medication reconciliation prevents possible medication errors, since the identification of unintentional discrepancies in the medical prescription generates signals that are taken by the clinical pharmacist to the assistant team, in order to guarantee the safe and correct use of medications during hospitalization.

Pharmacist-led medication reconciliation in emergency hospital services in Brazil: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to map the evidence of pharmacist-led  medication reconciliation in hospital emergency services in Brazil. METHOD: We performed a scoping review by searching electronic databases LILACS, Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Clinical  trials, REBEC e Cochrane and conducting a manual search to identify studies published up to 20 October 2021. Studies that addressed pharmacist-led medication reconciliation in hospital emergency  services in Brazil, regardless of clinical conditions, and outcomes evaluated,  were included. RESULTS: A total of 168 studies were retrieved, with three matching the inclusion criteria. Most studies performed pharmacist-led medication reconciliation at emergency department admissions, but it was not  the primary pharmaceutical attribution in this setting. Medication errors were identified during the medication reconciliation process, being drug  omission the most reported. Studies did not describe the concerns in collecting the best medication history from patients and the humanistic,  economic, and clinical outcomes of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation. Conclusions: This scoping review revealed the lack of evidence about the  pharmacist-led medication reconciliation process in the emergency setting in  Brazil. The findings suggest the need for future studies in this context.

OBJETIVO: Documentar la evidencia de la conciliación de medicamentos dirigida  por farmacéuticos en los servicios de emergencia  hospitalarios en Brasil.Método: Se realizó una revisión sistemática exploratoria de bases de datos  electrónicas LILACS, Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science,  Clinical Trials, REBEC y Cochrane para identificar estudios publicados hasta el  20 de octubre de 2021. Los estudios incluidos abordaban la conciliación de  medicamentos dirigida por farmacéuticos en los servicios de emergencia  hospitalarios en Brasil, independientemente de las condiciones clínicas y los  resultados evaluados. RESULTADOS: Se recuperaron un total de 168 estudios, tres de los cuales cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. La mayoría de los estudios  realizaban la conciliación de la medicación dirigida por el farmacéutico en las admisiones al servicio de urgencias, pero ésta no era la principal atribución farmacéutica en ese contexto. Los errores de medicación fueron  identificados durante el proceso de conciliación de medicamentos, siendo la omisión de medicamentos el error más reportado. Los estudios no hacían referencia a la importancia de recabar un historial farmacológico lo más completo posible ni a los resultados humanísticos, económicos y clínicos de la  conciliación de medicamentos dirigida por farmacéuticos. CONCLUSIONES: Esta revisión sistemática exploratoria reveló la falta de evidencia sobre el proceso de conciliación de medicamentos dirigido por  farmacéuticos en los servicios de urgencias de Brasil. Los hallazgos sugieren la  necesidad de seguir investigando sobre este asunto.

Protocol for the implementation of pharmaceutical care in geriatrics: strategy for safety in health care.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the experience of the implementation of pharmaceutical care in a geriatric hospital unit and to propose an instructional protocol for the practice. METHODS: Experience report that became the practice manual of pharmaceutical care in geriatrics (MaP-CFarmaGeri) of a Brazilian hospital and was structured in three topics (1. Situational diagnosis; 2. Adequacy of the procedure and service provision; 3. Practice exercise). RESULTS: The situational diagnosis comprised the collection of data on the structure of the ward and the epidemiological profile. The pharmaceutical services provided included pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, medication reconciliation and pharmacotherapy review. The certification of the content of this procedure was attested by specialists from a multiprofessional team and the technique served more than 60 patients in practice, with good acceptance by the participants. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The MaP-CFarmaGeri proved to be a satisfactory strategy in the implementation of pharmaceutical care in geriatrics and can support this insertion in similar locations.

Medication reconciliation role and value in Alzheimer's disease treatment.

BACKGROUND: With the continuous increase of Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is also imminent to treat patients with AD for medication reconciliation. OBJECTIVE: To explore the role and value of medication reconciliation in AD treatment. METHODS: 100 patients over 65 years of age diagnosed with AD were randomly separated into two groups: conventional treatment and medication reforming. The list of medical orders of all subjects was obtained within 24 hours after admission with Beers criteria, STOPP/START criteria, and Chinese Pharmacopoeia used as the MED intervention criteria. Medication reconciliation was performed at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months after hospital admission. The number of medications prescribed, the quantity of the medication, medication error rate, therapeutic effect, adverse drug reactions, and satisfaction levels of family members and main caregivers were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After the intervention, the types and amount of medication in the MED group were less compared to the CON group along with a reduced medication deviation rate. The Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score and the proportion of well-nourished patients in the MED group were higher than those in the CON group. It was also observed that the physical self-care ability score and the proportion of patients with abnormal swallowing were lower when in comparison with the CON group. The incidence of adverse drug reactions in the MED group was lower than that in the CON group. However, the satisfaction rate was higher than that in the CON group. CONCLUSION: Medication reconciliation can reduce the medication deviation in AD patients.

Role of clinical pharmacist in the palliative care of adults and elderly patients with cancer: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted this scoping review to map and summarize scientific evidence on the role of clinical pharmacists in the palliative care of adults and elderly patients with cancer. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was performed in MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and BVS/BIREME for studies published until November 22nd, 2020. Studies that reported work experiences adopted by clinical pharmacists in the palliative care of adults and elderly patients with cancer were included. Two independent authors performed study selection and data extraction. Any disagreements were resolved by discussion with the third and fourth authors. The pharmacist interventions identified in the included studies were described based on key domains in the DEPICT v.2. DATA SUMMARY: A total of 586 records were identified, of which 14 studies fully met the eligibility criteria. Most of them were conducted in the United States of America (n = 5) and Canada (n = 5) and described the workplace of the pharmacist in clinic/ambulatory (n = 10). Clinical pharmacists performed several activities and provided services, highlighting medication review (n = 12), patient and caregivers education (n = 12), medication histories and-or medication reconciliation (n = 6). The pharmacist interventions were mostly conducted for patients/caregivers (n = 13), by one-on-one contact (n = 14), and by face-to-face (n = 13). Pharmacists were responsible mainly for change or suggestion for change in therapy (n = 12) and patient counselling (n = 12). Pharmacist interventions were well accepted by the clinical team. Overall, studies showed that pharmacists, within an interdisciplinary team, had significant impacts on measured outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In recent years, there have been advances in the role of the pharmacist in palliative care of patients with cancer and there are great opportunities in this field. They play an important role in managing cancer pain and other symptoms, as well as resolving drug related problems. We encourage more research to be carried out to strengthen this field and to benefit patients with advanced cancer with higher quality of life.

Perfil das Discrepâncias Obtidas por meio da Conciliação Medicamentosa em Pacientes Oncológicos: Revisão Integrativa da Literatura / Profile of the Medication Reconciliation Discrepancies in Oncology Patients: Integrative Literature Review / Perfil de las Discrepancias Obtenidas por la Conciliación de Medicamentos en Pacientes Oncológicos: Revisión Integradora de la Literatura

Introdução: O cuidado ao paciente oncológico demanda ações de uma equipe multiprofissional em virtude da complexidade do seu tratamento. Um dos serviços oferecidos pelo farmacêutico, visando a contribuir para segurança do paciente, é a conciliação medicamentosa capaz de detectar discrepâncias nas prescrições e prevenir erros de medicação. Objetivo: Traçar o perfil das principais discrepâncias encontradas na literatura em pacientes oncológicos durante a prática da conciliação medicamentosa realizada por farmacêuticos. Adicionalmente, visa-se a uma abordagem descritiva sobre as intervenções farmacêuticas realizadas nos estudos. Método: Revisão integrativa da literatura. Foram utilizados os descritores: "Medication Reconciliation", "Neoplasms", "Pharmacists", "Medication Errors" para as estratégias de busca. As bases de dados selecionadas foram: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase e Scopus. Resultados: Inicialmente, identificaram-se 141 artigos. Destes, foram selecionados 11 trabalhos para serem discutidos. A conciliação medicamentosa foi realizada em pacientes na admissão hospitalar (27,3%), alta hospitalar (18,2%), e acompanhamento ambulatorial (54,5%). A maior parte era de estudos observacionais (72,7%) seguidos dos estudos de intervenção (27,3%). A principal discrepância relatada foi a de omissão/necessidade de adição de um medicamento (81,5%). As intervenções farmacêuticas estavam descritas mais detalhadamente em 36,4% das publicações. Conclusão: O estudo demonstrou a necessidade de mais trabalhos que correlacionem a prática da conciliação medicamentosa com a detecção de discrepâncias e intervenções farmacêuticas em Oncologia. Os farmacêuticos, objetivando a segurança do paciente, devem estruturar essa prática na vivência clínica dos pacientes oncológicos

Introduction: Cancer patient care requires actions of a multi-professional team due to the complexity of the treatment. One of the pharmacist's services to contribute for the patient safety is the medication reconciliation, able to detect discrepancies in prescriptions and preventing medication errors. Objective: Draw a profile of the main discrepancies found in the literature in cancer patients during the practice of medication reconciliation performed by pharmacists. Additionally, a descriptive approach of the pharmaceutical interventions found in the studies was also attempted. Method: Integrative review of the literature with descriptors "Medication Reconciliation", "Neoplasms", "Pharmacists", "Medication Errors" utilized to search in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus. Results: Initially, 141 articles were found and eleven were selected for discussion. Medication reconciliation was performed in patients at admission (27.3%), discharge from hospital (18.2%), and outpatient follow-up (54.5%). Observational Studies were the majority (72.7%) followed by intervention studies (27.3%). The main discrepancy reported was Omission/Need to add a medicine (81.5%). Pharmaceutical interventions were described in more detail in 36.4% of the publications. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the need for more articles that correlates the practice of medication reconciliation with the detection of discrepancies and pharmaceutical interventions in Oncology. Pharmacists should structure the practice of medication reconciliation in the clinical experience with cancer patients to improve their safety

Introducción: La atención a los pacientes con cáncer exige las acciones de un equipo multidisciplinario debido a la complejidad de su tratamiento. Uno de los servicios ofrecidos por el farmacéutico para contribuir a la seguridad del paciente es la conciliación de medicamentos, capaz de detectar discrepancias en las recetas y prevenir errores de medicación. Objetivo: Obtener un perfil de las principales discrepancias encontradas en la literatura en pacientes con cáncer durante la práctica de conciliación de medicamentos realizada por farmacéuticos. Además, también está dirigido a un enfoque descriptivo sobre las intervenciones farmacéuticas llevadas a cabo en los estudios. Método: Estudio de revisión integradora. Se ha utilizado los descriptores: "Medication Reconciliation", "Neoplasms", "Pharmacists", "Medication Errors" para las estrategias de búsqueda. Las bases de datos seleccionadas fueron: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase y Scopus. Resultados: Inicialmente, se encontraron 141 artículos. Se seleccionaron 11 documentos a ser discutidos. La conciliación de medicamentos se realizó en pacientes con ingreso hospitalario (27,3%), alta hospitalaria (18,2%) y seguimiento ambulatorio (54,5%). La mayoría fue de estudios observacionales (72,7%) seguidos de estudios de intervención (27,3%). La principal discrepancia reportada fue la Omisión/Necesidad de añadir un medicamento (81,5%). Las intervenciones farmacéuticas se describieron con más detalle en el 36,4% de las publicaciones. Conclusión: El estudio demostró la necesidad de más trabajos que correlacione la conciliación de la medicación con la detección de discrepancias e intervenciones farmacéuticas en Oncología. Los farmacéuticos que buscan la seguridad del paciente deben estructurar esta práctica clínica en la experiencia clínica de los pacientes con cáncer

Patients' medication reconciliation in a university hospital

Abstract Medication reconciliation is a strategy to minimize medication errors at the transition points of care. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of medication reconciliation in identifying and resolving drug discrepancies in the admission of adult patients to a university hospital. The study was carried out in a 300-bed large general public hospital, in which a reconciled list was created between drugs prescribed at admission and those used at pre-admission, adapting prescriptions from the pharmacotherapeutic guidelines of the hospital studied and the patients' clinical conditions. One hundred seven patients were included, of which 67,3% were women, with a mean age of 56 years. Two hundred twenty-nine discrepancies were found in 92 patients; of these, 21.4% were unintentional in 31.8% of patients. The pharmacist performed 49 interventions, and 47 were accepted. Medication omission was the highest occurrence (63.2%), followed by a different dose (24.5%). Thirteen (26.5%) of the 49 unintentional discrepancies included high-alert medications according to ISMP Brazil classification. Medication reconciliation emerges as an important opportunity for the review of pharmacotherapy at transition points of care, based on the high number of unintentional discrepancies identified and resolved. During the drug reconciliation process, the interventions prevented the drugs from being misused or omitted during the patient's hospitalization and possibly after discharge.

Reducing medication errors for adults in hospital settings.

BACKGROUND: Medication errors are preventable events that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional or patient. Medication errors in hospitalised adults may cause harm, additional costs, and even death. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of interventions to reduce medication errors in adults in hospital settings. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, five other databases and two trials registers on 16 January 2020.  SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and interrupted time series (ITS) studies investigating interventions aimed at reducing medication errors in hospitalised adults, compared with usual care or other interventions. Outcome measures included adverse drug events (ADEs), potential ADEs, preventable ADEs, medication errors, mortality, morbidity, length of stay, quality of life and identified/solved discrepancies. We included any hospital setting, such as inpatient care units, outpatient care settings, and accident and emergency departments. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We followed the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane and the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group. Where necessary, we extracted and reanalysed ITS study data using piecewise linear regression, corrected for autocorrelation and seasonality, where possible.  MAIN RESULTS: We included 65 studies: 51 RCTs and 14 ITS studies, involving 110,875 participants. About half of trials gave rise to 'some concerns' for risk of bias during the randomisation process and one-third lacked blinding of outcome assessment. Most ITS studies presented low risk of bias. Most studies came from high-income countries or high-resource settings. Medication reconciliation -the process of comparing a patient's medication orders to the medications that the patient has been taking- was the most common type of intervention studied. Electronic prescribing systems, barcoding for correct administering of medications, organisational changes, feedback on medication errors, education of professionals and improved medication dispensing systems were other interventions studied. Medication reconciliation Low-certainty evidence suggests that medication reconciliation (MR) versus no-MR may reduce medication errors (odds ratio [OR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17 to 1.74; 3 studies; n=379). Compared to no-MR, MR probably reduces ADEs (OR 0.38, 95%CI 0.18 to 0.80; 3 studies, n=1336 ; moderate-certainty evidence), but has little to no effect on length of stay (mean difference (MD) -0.30 days, 95%CI -1.93 to 1.33 days; 3 studies, n=527) and quality of life (MD -1.51, 95%CI -10.04 to 7.02; 1 study, n=131).  Low-certainty evidence suggests that, compared to MR by other professionals, MR by pharmacists may reduce medication errors (OR 0.21, 95%CI 0.09 to 0.48; 8 studies, n=2648) and may increase ADEs (OR 1.34, 95%CI 0.73 to 2.44; 3 studies, n=2873). Compared to MR by other professionals, MR by pharmacists may have little to no effect on length of stay (MD -0.25, 95%CI -1.05 to 0.56; 6 studies, 3983). Moderate-certainty evidence shows that this intervention probably has little to no effect on mortality during hospitalisation (risk ratio (RR) 0.99, 95%CI 0.57 to 1.7; 2 studies, n=1000), and on readmissions at one month (RR 0.93, 95%CI 0.76 to 1.14; 2 studies, n=997); and low-certainty evidence suggests that the intervention may have little to no effect on quality of life (MD 0.00, 95%CI -14.09 to 14.09; 1 study, n=724).  Low-certainty evidence suggests that database-assisted MR conducted by pharmacists, versus unassisted MR conducted by pharmacists, may reduce potential ADEs (OR 0.26, 95%CI 0.10 to 0.64; 2 studies, n=3326), and may have no effect on length of stay (MD 1.00, 95%CI -0.17 to 2.17; 1 study, n=311).  Low-certainty evidence suggests that MR performed by trained pharmacist technicians, versus pharmacists, may have little to no difference on length of stay (MD -0.30, 95%CI -2.12 to 1.52; 1 study, n=183). However, the CI is compatible with important beneficial and detrimental effects. Low-certainty evidence suggests that MR before admission may increase the identification of discrepancies compared with MR after admission (MD 1.27, 95%CI 0.46 to 2.08; 1 study, n=307). However, the CI is compatible with important beneficial and detrimental effects. Moderate-certainty evidence shows that multimodal interventions probably increase discrepancy resolutions compared to usual care (RR 2.14, 95%CI 1.81 to 2.53; 1 study, n=487). Computerised physician order entry (CPOE)/clinical decision support systems (CDSS) Moderate-certainty evidence shows that CPOE/CDSS probably reduce medication errors compared to paper-based systems (OR 0.74, 95%CI 0.31 to 1.79; 2 studies, n=88).  Moderate-certainty evidence shows that, compared with standard CPOE/CDSS, improved CPOE/CDSS probably reduce medication errors (OR 0.85, 95%CI 0.74 to 0.97; 2 studies, n=630). Low-certainty evidence suggests that prioritised alerts provided by CPOE/CDSS may prevent ADEs compared to non-prioritised (inconsequential) alerts (MD 1.98, 95%CI 1.65 to 2.31; 1 study; participant numbers unavailable). Barcode identification of participants/medications Low-certainty evidence suggests that barcoding may reduce medication errors (OR 0.69, 95%CI 0.59 to 0.79; 2 studies, n=50,545). Reduced working hours Low-certainty evidence suggests that reduced working hours may reduce serious medication errors (RR 0.83, 95%CI 0.63 to 1.09; 1 study, n=634). However, the CI is compatible with important beneficial and detrimental effects. Feedback on prescribing errors Low-certainty evidence suggests that feedback on prescribing errors may reduce medication errors (OR 0.47, 95%CI 0.33 to 0.67; 4 studies, n=384). Dispensing system Low-certainty evidence suggests that dispensing systems in surgical wards may reduce medication errors (OR 0.61, 95%CI 0.47 to 0.79; 2 studies, n=1775). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Low- to moderate-certainty evidence suggests that, compared to usual care, medication reconciliation, CPOE/CDSS, barcoding, feedback and dispensing systems in surgical wards may reduce medication errors and ADEs. However, the results are imprecise for some outcomes related to medication reconciliation and CPOE/CDSS. The evidence for other interventions is very uncertain. Powered and methodologically sound studies are needed to address the identified evidence gaps. Innovative, synergistic strategies -including those that involve patients- should also be evaluated.

Medication Reconciliation at hospital admission and discharge: Evaluation of fidelity and process outcomes in a real-world setting.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to assess the fidelity of Medication Reconciliation (MR) delivered by the pharmacist at hospital admission and discharge, and the process outcomes. METHODS: Prospective study conducted in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery unit of a university hospital between September 2019 and January 2020. Independent observers collected data to measure MR fidelity, related to coverage, sources of information used to collect medication history and presence of outstanding and resolved Undocumented Discrepancies (UD). Process outcomes included medication errors and their potential to cause harm, identified by the pharmacist during the formal MR process. RESULTS: Of the eligible patients, 122 (69.7%) had their medications reconciled in a timely manner at hospital admission and 50 (43.8%) at discharge. The pharmacist consulted 2.76 (±0.8) sources of information to build the medication history, on average. At least one outstanding UD was found in 101 (82.8%) patients at admission and in 41 (82.0%), at discharge. The average number of outstanding UD per patient at admission and discharge was 3.0 (±2.6) and 2.4 (±1.9), respectively. The UD communicated to the physician by the pharmacist during the formal MR process, involved mainly omission errors and were classified as requiring monitoring or potentially necessary intervention. In the univariate analysis, the number of drugs pre-admission and admission, the reason for admission and non-elective readmission in 30 days were associated with the presence of medication errors at admission. CONCLUSIONS: This study found a high number of UD, suggesting flaws in the implementation of MR and highlight the importance of quality measurement.

Medication discrepancies in transition of care of hospitalised children in Brazil: a multicentric study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of medication discrepancies in transition points of care of hospitalised children. DESIGN: A prospective observational multicentre study was carried out between February and August 2019. Data collection consisted of the following steps: sociodemographic data collection, clinical interview with the patient's caregiver, review of patient prescriptions and evaluation of medical records. Medication discrepancies were classified as intentional (documented or undocumented) and unintentional. In addition, discrepancies identified were categorised according to the medication discrepancy taxonomy. Unintentional discrepancies were assessed for potential clinical harm to the patient. SETTING: Paediatric clinics of four teaching hospitals in Brazil. PATIENTS: Children aged 1 month-12 years. FINDINGS: A total of 248 children were included, 77.0% (n=191) patients had at least one intentional discrepancy; 20.2% (n=50) patients had at least one unintended discrepancy and 15.3% (n=38) patients had at least one intentional discrepancy and an unintentional one. The reason for the intentional discrepancy was not documented in 49.6% (n=476) of the cases. The most frequent unintentional discrepancy was medication omission (54.1%; n=66). Low potential to cause discomfort was found in 53 (43.4%) unintentional discrepancies, while 55 (45.1%) had the potential to cause moderate discomfort and 14 (11.5%) could potentially cause severe discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Although most medication discrepancies were intentional, the majority of these were not documented by the healthcare professionals. Unintentional discrepancies were often related to medication omission and had a potential risk of causing harm to hospitalised children.

Getting to Complete and Accurate Medication Lists During the Transition to Home Health Care.

OBJECTIVES: Characterize the work that home health care (HHC) admission nurses complete as part of the medication reconciliation tasks, explore the impact of shared electronic medication data (interoperability) from the referral source on medication reconciliation, and highlight opportunities to enhance medication reconciliation with respect to transition in care to HHC agencies. DESIGN: Observational field study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Three diverse Pennsylvania HHC agencies; each used different electronic health record systems with different interoperability characteristics. Six nurses per site admitted 2 patients each (36 patients total). METHODS: Researchers observed the admission process in the patient home and at the HHC agency. The nurses' tasks related to medication reconciliation were characterized by (1) number and change types (ie, medications dropped or added; changes to dose, frequency/administration time, or tablet types) made to the referrer medication list during and after the home visit, and (2) reasons that the nurse called the health provider (doctor, pharmacy) to resolve medication-related issues. Differences between interoperable and non-interoperable observations were explored. RESULTS: Polypharmacy (on average, study patients were taking more than 12 medications) and high-risk medications (on average, more than 8 per patient) were pervasive. For 91% of patients, the number of medications decreased between pre- and post-reconciliation medication lists; 41% of the medications required changes. Nurses using interoperable systems needed to make fewer changes than nurses using non-interoperable systems. In two-thirds of observations, the nurse called a provider. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Changes to the referrer medication list and calls to providers highlighted the nurses' effort to complete the medication reconciliation. Interoperability appeared to reduce the number of changes required, but did not eliminate changes or calls to providers. We highlight opportunities to enhance medication reconciliation with respect to transition in care to HHC agencies.

Prevalence of medication discrepancies in pediatric patients transferred between hospital wards.

Background Children are more susceptible to harm from medication errors and adverse drug reactions when compared to adults. Such events may occur from medication discrepancies while transitioning patients throughout the healthcare system. Contributing factors include medication discontinuity and lack of information by the healthcare team. Objective To analyze the prevalence of medication discrepancies in transition points of care in a pediatric department. Setting Pediatric department of a public hospital in Northeast Brazil. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out from August 2017 to March 2018. Data collection consisted of the following steps: collection of sociodemographic data, clinical interview with the patient's caregiver, registration of patient prescriptions, and evaluation of medical records. Medication discrepancies were classified as intentional and unintentional. The unintentional medication discrepancies were classified as omission of medication, therapeutic duplicity, and differences in dose, frequency, or route of administration. Main outcomes measure Discrepancy profile identified at admission, internal transfer and hospital discharge. Results Among the 114 patients included in the study, 85 (74.5%) patients had at least one unintentional medication discrepancy, of which 16 (14.0%) patients presented medication discrepancies at hospital admission, 42 (36.8%) patients at internal transfer, and 52 (45.6%) patients during discharge. Omission of medication represented 20 (74.1%) errors at admission, 26 (37.7%) errors at internal transfer, and 80 (100.0%) errors at hospital discharge. Conclusions The main transition points of care where unintentional discrepancies occurred in the studied pediatric department were at internal transfer and hospital discharge, with omission being the most common type of unintentional discrepancy.

Conciliação Medicamentosa em Cuidados Paliativos Oncológicos / Medication Reconciliation in Oncologic Palliative Care / Conciliación de la Medicación en Cuidados Paliativos Oncológicos

Introdução: A ausência de informações a respeito dos medicamentos utilizados pelos pacientes pode causar erros de medicações. Assim, a comunicação entre profissionais de saúde, pacientes e familiares é primordial para a segurança do paciente nos diferentes níveis de atenção à saúde. Os farmacêuticos clínicos podem realizar a conciliação de medicamentos e atuar em colaboração com outros profissionais, objetivando otimizar a farmacoterapia e melhorar a segurança do paciente. As pessoas sob Cuidados Paliativos costumam fazer uso de polifarmácia e, quando não acompanhadas pelos profissionais de saúde, estão susceptíveis a potenciais discrepâncias não intencionais causadas por comunicação inadequada. Objetivo: Analisar o perfil das conciliações medicamentosas em pacientes que estão sob Cuidados Paliativos Oncológicos. Método: Estudo transversal, analítico e descritivo. Foram analisadas todas as visitas de conciliações realizadas na admissão dos pacientes, na unidade IV do Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva (HCIV/INCA), no período de junho a novembro de 2018. Resultados: Realizaram-se 194 visitas, nas quais foram identificadas 1.770 discrepâncias (78,2%), sendo 93,8% intencionais, 0,7% intencionais documentadas e 5,4% não intencionais. Todas as prescrições apresentaram pelo menos uma discrepância e 34,6% foram totalmente modificadas pelo prescritor no ato da admissão. Foram realizadas 112 intervenções farmacêuticas relacionadas à conciliação medicamentosa. Conclusão: As principais discrepâncias encontradas, inclusão de medicamentos e ajustes de dose ressaltam a importância da presença de farmacêuticos clínicos no momento da admissão do paciente, em que foi possível ajustar a farmacoterapia, em conjunto com corpo clínico, contribuindo para a melhoria do perfil de prescrição

Introduction: The lack of information about the medications used by the patient can cause medication errors, so communication between health professionals, patients and family members is paramount for patient safety at different levels of attention to health. Clinical pharmacists can perform drug reconciliation and work in collaboration with other professionals to optimize pharmacotherapy and improve the patient's safety. Patients in Palliative Care tend to use polypharmacy, and when not accompanied by health professionals are susceptible to potential unintentional discrepancies caused by poor communication. Objective: To analyze the characteristics of the profile of drug reconciliations in patients who are under Oncologic Palliative Care. Method: Cross-sectional, analytical, and descriptive study. All the reconciliation visits performed at the admission of the patients were analyzed in the hospitalization unit of the National Cancer Institute José Alencar Gomes da Silva (HCIV/INCA), from June to November 2018. Results: A total of 194 visits were conducted, where 1,770 discrepancies (78.2%) were found, 93.8% intentional, 0.7% intentional documented and 5.4% unintentional. All the prescriptions presented at least one discrepancy and 34.5% were totally modified by the prescriber on admission. There were 112 pharmaceutical interventions related to medication reconciliation. Conclusion: The main discrepancies found, inclusion of drugs and dose adjustments, highlights the importance of the presence of clinical pharmacists at the time of the patient's admission, when it was possible to adjust pharmacotherapy, together with the clinical staff and contributing to the improvement of the prescription profile

Introducción: La falta de información sobre los medicamentos utilizados por el paciente puede generar errores de medicación, por lo que la comunicación entre los profesionales de la salud, los pacientes y los familiares es fundamental para la seguridad del paciente en los diferentes niveles de atención. Los farmacéuticos clínicos pueden realizar la conciliación de fármacos y trabajar en colaboración con otros profesionales para optimizar la farmacoterapia y mejorar la seguridad del paciente. Las personas que reciben Cuidados Paliativos suelen utilizar la polifarmacia y, cuando no están acompañadas de profesionales de la salud, son susceptibles a posibles discrepancias no intencionadas provocadas por una comunicación inadecuada. Objetivo: Analizar el perfil de las conciliaciones de fármacos en pacientes que se encuentran en Cuidados Oncológicos Paliativos. Método: Estudio transversal, analítico y descriptivo. Se analizaron todas las visitas de conciliación realizadas al ingreso de pacientes en la unidad de internación del Instituto Nacional del Cáncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva (HCIV/ INCA), de junio a noviembre de 2018. Resultados: Se realizaron 194 visitas, durante las cuales Se identificaron 1.770 discrepancias (78,2%), de las cuales 93,8% fueron intencionales, 0,7% fueron documentadas y 5,4% fueron no intencionales. Todas las prescripciones mostraron al menos una discrepancia y el 34,5% se modificó por completo por el prescriptor al ingreso. Se realizaron 112 intervenciones farmacéuticas relacionadas con la conciliación de fármacos. Conclusión: Las principales discrepancias encontradas, inclusión de medicamentos y ajustes de dosis, resaltan la importancia de la presencia de farmacéuticos clínicos en el momento del ingreso del paciente, donde fue posible ajustar la farmacoterapia, junto con el personal clínico y contribuyendo a la mejora clínica de la prescripción

Acompanhamento clínico farmacêutico no cuidado ao paciente adulto-cirúrgico em um hospital universitário de Porto Alegre / Clinical pharmacist follow-up in adult surgical patient care in a university hospital of Porto Alegre

Introdução: O farmacêutico clínico já está bem estabelecido em algumas instituições e muitos serviços de saúde contam com este profissional em suas equipes, entretanto, poucos conseguem sistematizar o seu trabalho e mapear os dados das atividades desenvolvidas, demonstrando a relevância do profissional na equipe de saúde. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o acompanhamento clínico-farmacêutico em uma unidade de internação adulto-cirúrgica em um hospital universitário de Porto Alegre. Métodos: Estudo descritivo retrospectivo que quantificou as principais atividades do farmacêutico clínico em uma unidade de internação adulto-cirúrgica no período de janeiro a maio de 2019. Este projeto foi aprovado no Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da referida instituição. Resultados: 859 pacientes foram admitidos na unidade cirúrgica avaliada, dos quais 490 foram revisados pelo farmacêutico na admissão hospitalar, correspondendo à taxa média de 57,27%. A taxa média de conciliação medicamentosa realizada foi de 14,83%, totalizando 73 pacientes conciliados por entrevista. 361 intervenções farmacêuticas foram realizadas no período estudado, sendo 54 relacionadas a conciliação medicamentosa, com o número total de adesões de 232. As principais especialidades cirúrgicas que internam pacientes na unidade em questão foram a Ortopedia, Cirurgia do Aparelho Digestivo, Urologia e Cirurgia Vascular. Conclusões: Foi possível avaliar o acompanhamento clínico farmacêutico em uma unidade de internação adulto-cirúrgica em um hospital universitário de Porto Alegre, através da quantificação das taxas de pacientes revisados e de conciliação medicamentosa, do número de intervenções farmacêuticas e suas adesões, além de caracterizar as principais especialidades médicas cirúrgicas envolvidas. (AU)

Introduction: Clinical pharmacists are already well established in some institutions, and many health services have these professionals in their teams. However, few are able to systematize their work and map data from the developed activities, demonstrating the relevance of these professionals in the health team. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical pharmacist follow-up in an adult surgical inpatient unit in a university hospital in Porto Alegre. Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study that quantified the main activities of the clinical pharmacist in an adult surgical inpatient unit from January to May 2019. This project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution. Results: Of 859 patients admitted to the s rgical unit, 490 were reviewed by the pharmacist on hospital admission, corresponding to an average rate of 57.27%. The average medication reconciliation rate was 14.83%, totaling 73 patients reconciled per interview. Of 361 pharmaceutical interventions performed during the study period, 54 were related to medication reconciliation, and the total number of adhesions was 232. The main surgical specialties associated with admission to the study unit were Orthopedics, Digestive System Surgery, Urology, and Vascular Surgery. Conclusions: It was possible to evaluate the clinical pharmacist follow-up in an adult surgical inpatient unit in a university hospital in Porto Alegre by quantifying the rates of reviewed patients and medication reconciliations as well as the number of pharmaceutical interventions and their adherences, in addition to characterizing the main medical-surgical specialties involved. (AU)

Medication discrepancies in a hospital in Southern Brazil: the importance of medication reconciliation for patient safety

Medication discrepancies are of great concern in hospitals because they pose risks to patients and increase health care costs. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of inconsistent medication prescriptions to adult patients admitted to a hospital in southern Santa Catarina, Brazil. This was a patient safety study on patients recruited between November 2015 and June 2016. The participants were interviewed and had their medical records reviewed. Discrepant medications were considered those that did not match between the list of medicines taken at home and the prescribed drugs for treatment in a hospital setting. Of the 394 patients included, 98.5% took continuous-use medications at home, with an average of 5.5 medications per patient. Discrepancies totaled 80.2%, The independent variables associated with the discrepancies were systemic arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, vascular disease, number of medications taken at home, and poor documentation of the medications in the medical record. Findings from this study allowed us to conclude there was a high rate of prescription medication misuse. Medication reconciliation is crucial in reducing these errors. Pharmacists can help reduce these medication-related errors and the associated risks and complications.