Formulary Reconciliation: Implementation of a Comprehensive Approach to Formulary Maintenance and Standardization.

At our institution UC San Diego Health, formulary qualifiers such as indication expansions and restrictions based on provider specialty, patient location, or patient characteristics are input as free text into an online formulary platform. Inconsistency in formulary categories and their descriptions since the implementation of the electronic system have led to confusion and inconsistent formulary application amongst staff. We reviewed 880 unique medications with formulary qualifiers to standardize both categories and language. There were 537 items with inpatient restrictions (eg, restricted to service), 147 items with a restriction to outpatient use only, 94 items with a formulation restriction, 91 items with associated guidelines, and 11 items with formulary expansions. Formulary status descriptions were updated to be consistent and clear. A standardized and well-maintained formulary, via formulary reconciliation, can provide concise and informative insight to the formulary status for frontline healthcare staff.

[Quality of medication documentation in patients discharge summaries after implementing new legal requirements]. / Dokumentationsqualität der Medikation in Entlassbriefen ­ eine Bestandsaufnahme nach Einführung des Rahmenvertrags Entlassmanagement.

INTRODUCTION: Discharge from hospital is a risk to drug continuity and medication safety. In Germany, new legal requirements concerning the management of patient discharge from the hospital came into force in 2017. They set minimum requirements for the documentation of medications in patient discharge summaries, which are the primary means of communication at transitions of care. Six years later, data on their practical implementation in routine care are lacking. METHODS: Within the scope of an explorative retrospective observational study, the minimum requirements were operationalized and a second set of assessment criteria was derived from the recommendation "Good Prescribing Practice in Drug Therapy" published by the Aktionsbündnis Patientensicherheit e.V. as a comparative quality standard. A sample of discharge summaries was drawn from routine care at the University Hospital Heidelberg and assessed according to their fulfilment of the criteria sets. In addition, the potential influence of certain context factors (e. g., involvement of clinical pharmacists or software usage) was evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 11 quality criteria were derived from the minimum requirements. According to the eligibility criteria (i. e., three or more discharge medications) 352 discharge summaries (42 wards; issued in May-July 2021), containing in total 3,051 medications, were included. The practical implementation of the minimum requirements for documenting medications in patient discharge summaries differed considerably depending on the criterion and defined context factors. Core elements (i. e., drug name, strength, and dosage at discharge) were fulfilled in 82.8 %, while further minimum requirements were rarely met or completely lacking (e. g., explanations for special pharmaceutical forms). Involvement of clinical pharmacists and usage of software were shown to be a facilitator of documentation quality, while on-demand medication (compared to long-term medication) as well as newly prescribed medication (compared to home medication or medication changed during hospitalisation) showed poorer documentation quality. In addition, the documentation quality seemed to depend on the department and the day of discharge. CONCLUSION: To date, the wording of the German legal requirements allows for different interpretations without considering the respective clinical setting and the medication actually prescribed. For future clarification of the requirements, implications of the wording for the clinical setting should be considered.

Comparison between proactive and retroactive models of medication reconciliation in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Most research on the impact of medication reconciliation on patient safety focused on the retroactive model, with limited attention given to the proactive model. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to compare the proactive and retroactive models in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure. METHODS: This prospective, quasi-experimental study was conducted over six months, from June to November 2022, at the cardiology unit of an academic hospital in Iran. Eligible patients were those hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure using a minimum of five regular medications before admission. Medication reconciliation was performed in 81 cases using the proactive model and in 81 using the retroactive model. RESULTS: 556 medications were reconciled using the retroactive model, and 581 were reconciled using the proactive model. In the retroactive cases, 341 discrepancies (both intentional and unintentional) were identified, compared to 231 in the proactive cases. The proportion of patients with at least one unintentional discrepancy was significantly lower in the proactive cases than in the retroactive cases (23.80% versus 74.03%). Moreover, the number of unintentional discrepancies was significantly lower in the proactive cases compared to the retroactive cases (22 out of 231 discrepancies versus 150 out of 341 discrepancies). In the retroactive cases, medication omission was the most frequent type of unintentional discrepancy (44.00). About, 42.70% of reconciliation errors detected in the retroactive cases were judged to have the potential to cause moderate to severe harm. While the average time spent obtaining medication history was similar in both models (00:27 [h: min] versus 00:30), the average time needed to complete the entire process was significantly shorter in the proactive model compared to the retroactive model (00:41 min versus 00:51). CONCLUSION: This study highlighted that the proactive model is a timely and effective method of medication reconciliation, particularly in improving medication safety for high-risk patients.

Facilitators and barriers in implementing medication safety practices across hospitals within 11 European Union countries

BACKGROUND: The study was carried out as part of the European Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPas) project in 2008-2010. OBJECTIVE: To investigate facilitators and barriers in implementation process of selected medication safety practices across hospitals within European Union countries. METHODS: This was an implementation study of seven selected medication safety practices in 55 volunteering hospitals of 11 European Union (EU) member states. The selected practices were: two different versions of medicine bed dispensation; safety vest; discharge medication list for patients; medication reconciliation at patient discharge; medication reconciliation at patient admission and patient discharge, and sleep card. The participating hospitals submitted an evaluation report describing the implementation process of a chosen practice in their organisation. The reports were analysed with inductive content analysis to identify general and practice-specific facilitators and barriers to the practice implementation. RESULTS: Altogether 75 evaluation reports were submitted from 55 hospitals in 11 EU member states. Implementation of the medication safety practices was challenging and more time consuming than expected. The major reported challenge was to change the work process because of the new practice. General facilitators for successful implementation were: existence of safety culture, national guidelines and projects, expert support, sufficient resources, electronic patient records, interdisciplinary cooperation and clinical pharmacy services supporting the practice implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The key for the successful implementation of a medication safety practice is to select the right practice for the right problem, in the right setting and with sufficient resources in an organization with a safety culture

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Frequency of occurrence of medication discrepancies and associated risk factors in cases of acute hospital admission

Background: Medication discrepancies are a common occurrence following hospital admission and carry the potential for causing harm. However, little is known about the potential risk factors involved in medication discrepancies. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine how frequently medication discrepancies occur and their associated risk factors, in patients hospitalized via the emergency department of the Spaarne Gasthuis Hospital, located in The Netherlands. Methods: This retrospective observational study examines 832 hospital admissions which took place between April 1st and June 30th, 2015. Medication reconciliation was performed within 24 hours of admission and medication discrepancies were registered. The primary outcome recorded in the study was the proportion of patients experiencing one or more medication discrepancies, as verified by the physician. As a secondary outcome, the association between these discrepancies and pre-specified variables was analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: At least one medication discrepancy was found to have occurred with 97 of the 832 patients (11.7%), the most common discrepancies involving incorrect drug dose (44.9%) and omission of medication (36.4%). In the univariate analysis, age (OR=1.03 [95% CI 1.02:1.04] p<0.001) and number of pre-admission medications taken (OR=1.13 [95%CI 1.09:1.17] p<0.001) were revealed to be significantly associated with the risk of medication discrepancies. Sex, type of medical specialty, and surgical versus non-surgical specialty were found not to be significantly associated with discrepancies. In the multivariate analysis, both the number of pre-admission medications (OR=1.10 [95%CI 1.06:1.15] p<0.001) and age (OR=1.02 [95%CI 1.01:1.03] p=0.004) were independently associated with the risk of medication discrepancy. Conclusions: Of the total number of patients, 11.7% experienced one or more medication discrepancies following admission to the hospital. Elderly patients taking multiple drugs were found to be particularly at risk

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Development and validation of a scale to measure the quality of patient medication counseling using Rasch model

Objective: The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the psychometric properties of a scale for measuring the quality of patient medication counseling by using the Rasch model. Methods: In this study, the scale was developed based on the literature review. It consisted of 31 items across five subscales: introduction, problem identification, content, behavior, and conclusion. A convenient sample of community pharmacists was recruited from four major cities in Vietnam: Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh, and Can Tho. Data collection was conducted from June 10 to October 30, 2017. A Rasch analysis for polytomous data was performed to assess the suitability of the item and the reliability of the scale. Results: The research results showed that all items had a positive point-measure correlation coefficient between 0.47 and 0.77. All items had infit and outfit values in the optimal range between 0.5 and 1.5 except for D5, but its value was within acceptable range. Differential item function analysis indicated that all items had no DIF, except for items B4 and E4 containing moderate magnitude of DIF. Response category statistics found that there was a gradual increase in difficulty level from category 1 to 5 and no presence of reversal. Infit and outfit statistics of these categories were also considered good, with their values close to 1. The test result of the item characteristic curve and the person-item map showed that there were some overlapping items. Their appearance, however, might play an important role in measuring different aspects of construct. The overall scale reliability index (0.97) was high and the overall scale separation index (6.11) was good. Conclusions: The developed scale satisfied the requirements of the Rasch model. The scale is a useful tool that could be used to measure the quality of patient medication counseling among community pharmacists

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Conciliación de medicación al alta hospitalaria: colaboración entre farmacéuticos de atención primaria y atención especializada / Medication reconciliation after hospital discharge: collaboration between primary care and specialized care pharmacists

Objetivo: cuantificar la detección y la intervención sobre los problemas relacionados con los medicamentos (PRMs) detectados al alta hospitalaria. Material y Métodos: corte transversal del 8/03/17 al 7/04/2017 de pacientes dados de alta de los servicios de Urología, Digestivo y Cirugía Vascular y pertenecientes a los centros de salud con farmacéutico de Atención Primaria seleccionados. El estudio se realizó en una estructura organizativa de gestión integrada. Se recogieron: datos demográficos, índice de comorbilidad, PRMs y clasificación de medicamentos causantes, intervenciones y porcentaje de aceptación, así como número de reingresos y visitas a urgencias a los 30 días. El análisis estadístico se realizó con el SPSS. Resultados: se incluyeron 145 pacientes (71,7% hombres/edad media 63 años) y se detectaron 207 PRMs en 95 pacientes. La causa de PRMs más frecuente fue el error de prescripción (32%) y el grupo terapéutico predominante fue el A (Tracto Alimentario y Metabolismo; 22%). Un 62% de las propuestas de intervención fueron aceptadas. Un 21,4% de los pacientes visitaron urgencias a los 30 días y un 7,6% reingresaron. Se encontró una relación estadísticamente significativa entre la duración de la estancia hospitalaria y el número de medicamentos antes de la conciliación (p<0,005). También hubo relación entre la edad de los pacientes y las visitas a urgencias (p=0,043). Conclusiones: se detectaron PRMs en un número elevado de pacientes y más de un 60% de las propuestas de intervención fueron aceptadas. Los errores de prescripción fueron los más frecuentes, y el grupo de medicamentos con más PRMs fue el grupo A

Objective: quantify the detection and intervention on the drug-related problems (DRP) detected in hospital discharge. Material and methods: cross section from 03/8/17 to 04/27/2017 of patients discharged from the Urology, Digestive and Vascular Surgery services of the selected health centres with primary care pharmacist. The study was conducted in a Estructura Organizativa de Gestión Integrada de Vigo (healthcare system with Primary Care and Specialized Care in the same management system). The following data was collected: demographic data, comorbidity index, DRP detected and classification of drugs, interventions and acceptance percentage, as well as the number of readmissions and visits to the emergency department 30 days after hospital discharge. The statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS program. Results:145 patients were included (71.7% men/average age 63 years old) and 207 DRPs were detected in 95 patients. Prescribing errors (32%) were the most common cause of DRP and more interventions were carried out with drugs that belong to alimentary tract and metabolism (22%). 62% of intervention proposals were accepted. 21.4% of patients visit emergency department on those 30 days and 7.6% of patients readmit. A statistically significant relation was found between length of hospital stay and the number of drugs that the patient takes before the reconciliation (p< 0,005). There was also a relation between the age of the patients and the visits to emergency department 30 days after hospital discharge (p=0,043). Conclusions: PRMs were detected in a large number of patients and more than 60% of the intervention proposals were accepted. Prescription errors were the most frequent and group A was de group of drugs with more DRPs

Conciliación de la medicación al alta hospitalaria en farmacia comunitaria: a propósito de un caso / Medication reconciliation upon hospital discharge within community pharmacy: a case study

Mujer de 86 años (itinerante entre dos comunidades autónomas) con fibrilación auricular (FA) persistente y fibrilación ventricular (FV) controlada con anticoagulación oral, distimia, desorden de ansiedad, temblor esencial e insuficiencia venosa crónica que acude a la farmacia comunitaria (FC) después de haber acudido a la consulta de su médico de atención primaria (MAP) y que ha sido diagnosticada al alta hospitalaria (en la otra comunidad autónoma) de ictus isquémico parietal derecho cardioembólico. No se ha realizado conciliación al alta y al dispensar las recetas del MAP se detecta que hay algunas duplicidades, faltan medicamentos prescritos en el informe de alta y sobran otros según lo que aparece en el informe al alta (AU)

An 86-year-old female (itinerant between two autonomous regions) with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) with controlled ventricular fibrillation (VF) with oral anticoagulation, dysthymia, anxiety disorder, essential tremor and chronic venous insufficiency arrives to the community pharmacy after visiting her primary care physician (PCP). She has been diagnosed at hospital discharge (in another region) with ischemic parietal cardioembolic ictus. No reconciliation was made to the discharge and when dispensing the prescriptions of the MAP we detected that there are some duplicities, there are prescriptions that are not in the discharge report and there are no prescriptions for many others according to what appears in the discharge report (AU)

Estudio prospectivo en dos hospitales / Prospective study in 2 hospitals

Objetivos. El objetivo del estudio es conocer la incidencia de los errores de conciliación en el ingreso y al alta hospitalaria en pacientes de La Rioja y mejorar la seguridad del paciente en conciliación de la medicación. Material y métodos. Estudio observacional prospectivo que forma parte del proyecto de la Acción Conjunta de la Red de la Unión Europea para la Seguridad del Paciente y la Calidad de la Asistencia Sanitaria, Paquete de Trabajo 5. Se han tenido en cuenta las definiciones del Instituto para el Uso Seguro de los Medicamentos. Cualquier discrepancia no justificada entre el tratamiento crónico y el prescrito en el hospital se consideró error de conciliación. Resultados. Se incluyeron 750 pacientes, de los cuales 9 (1,2%) presentaron al menos un error de conciliación. De las 3.156 prescripciones, 2.313 (73,4%) no mostraron discrepancias, mientras que 821 (26%) fueron discrepancias justificadas y 21 (0,6%) discrepancias no justificadas que fueron consideradas por el médico como errores de conciliación. El 1,2% de los pacientes tuvieron errores de conciliación durante su estancia en el hospital, lo que implicó al 0,6% de los medicamentos (uno de cada 166 medicamentos prescritos). Conclusiones. Se ha establecido un procedimiento en el que el médico revisa la prescripción al ingreso y al alta basado en criterios de conciliación de la medicación, utilizando como herramienta un formulario de conciliación de la medicación. La conciliación de la medicación es un objetivo estratégico prioritario para mejorar la seguridad de los pacientes (AU)

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to know the incidence rate of medication reconciliation at admission and discharge in patients of La Rioja and to improve the patient safety on medication reconciliation. Material and methods. An observational prospective study, part of the Joint Action PaSQ, Work Package 5, European Union Network for Patient Safety and Quality of Care. The study has taken into account the definitions of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Any unintended discrepancy in medication between chronic treatment and the treatment prescribed in the hospital was considered as a reconciliation error. Results. A total of 750 patients were included, 9 (1.2%) of whom showed at least one discrepancy. The patients had a total of 3,156 mediations registered: 2,313 prescriptions (73.4%) showed no differences, while 821 prescriptions (26%) were intended discrepancies and 21 prescriptions (0.6%) unintended discrepancies were considered by the physician as reconciliation errors. A percentage of 1.2 of the patients, which represents 0.6% of the medicines (one in 166 medications registered) had reconciliation errors during their hospital stay. Conclusions. A proceeding has been implemented by means of the physician doing the medication reconciliation and reviewing it with the help of a medication reconciliation form. The medication reconciliation is a priority strategic objective to improve the safety of patients (AU)

Conciliación de la medicación en pacientes mayores de 75 años / Medication reconciliation in patients over 75 years

Objetivo. Continuar con la implementación del proceso de conciliación de medicación al ingreso y analizar las prescripciones potencialmente inapropiadas según criterios STOPP/START -Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to the Right indicated Treatment- y las interacciones farmacológicas. Ampliar el proceso de conciliación al alta hospitalaria en los servicios de Cardiología y Neumología. Material y métodos. Estudio observacional, descriptivo y retrospectivo que incluyó pacientes mayores de 75 años. Para la clasificación de las discrepancias encontradas se utilizó el ‘Documento de Consenso en Terminología y Clasificación en Conciliación de la Medicación’. Se revisaron las prescripciones potencialmente inadecuadas y las interacciones farmacológicas. Para la conciliación al alta se elaboró el tríptico ‘Programa de información de medicamentos al alta hospitalaria’ y la ‘Hoja de información al paciente’. Resultados. El número de pacientes conciliados fue 818, siendo el grado de cobertura del 42,3% (población diana: 1.932). Los errores de conciliación detectados por paciente fueron 23,4% (191) en el ingreso y 22,5% (9) al alta. A todos los pacientes conciliados al alta se les entregó la hoja de información en dicho momento. Las prescripciones potencialmente inadecuadas según criterios STOPP/START afectaron al 6,0% (49) de los pacientes conciliados. El número de interacciones con repercusión clínica afectó al 11,7% (96) de los pacientes. Conclusiones. La inclusión del proceso de conciliación ha permitido detectar la existencia de errores entre el tratamiento crónico y el prescrito en el hospital. Los criterios STOPP/START aplicados a este grupo de pacientes han permitido conocer las prescripciones potencialmente inadecuadas más frecuentes. El análisis de las interacciones farmacológicas muestra las combinaciones de fármacos que deben ser evitadas en estos pacientes (AU)

Objective. To continue with the implementation of the medication reconciliation process on admission, and to analyse potentially inappropriate prescriptions according to the STOPP-START -Screening Tool of Older Person's potentially inappropriate Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to the Right (indicated) Treatment- criteria, and drug interactions. To extend the process of reconciliation at hospital discharge from the Cardiology and Chest Diseases departments. Material and methods. Retrospective observational study that included patients over 75 years old. The ‘Consensus Document on Terminology and Classification in Medication Reconciliation’ was used for the classification of the discrepancies found. Potentially inappropriate prescriptions and drug interactions were reviewed. For reconciliation at discharge, a ‘Drug information program at discharge’ leaflet and a ‘Patient information sheet’ was developed. Results. The number of reconciled patients was 818, with a level of coverage of 42.3% (target patients: 1,932). Reconciliation errors by patient were 23.4% (191) on admission and 22.5% (9) at discharge. All patients who were reconciled at discharge were given the ‘Drug information program at discharge’ leaflet. Potentially inappropriate prescriptions, according to STOPP/START criteria, affected 6.0% (49) of reconciled patients. The number of clinically relevant interactions affected 11.7% (96) of patients. Conclusions. The implementation of a reconciliation process has detected the existence of errors between chronic and prescribed treatment in the hospital. The STOPP/START criteria applied to this group of patients have helped to find out the most common potentially inappropriate prescriptions. The analysis of drug interactions shows drug combinations that should be avoided in these patients (AU)

Conciliación de la medicación al ingreso: resultados e identificación de pacientes diana / Medication reconciliation at hospital admission: results and identification of target patients

Objetivo. Identificar y cuantificar las discrepancias entre el tratamiento prescrito al ingreso hospitalario y el tratamiento crónico del paciente. Identificar variables que puedan utilizarse en la selección de los pacientes más susceptibles de beneficiarse de un programa de conciliación de la medicación. Material y métodos. Se diseñó un estudio prospectivo de conciliación de la medicación al ingreso hospitalario en el servicio de cirugía vascular y angiología de marzo a diciembre de 2014. Al ingreso el personal de enfermería informaba al paciente del estudio y le solicitaban que recopilara información sobre su tratamiento crónico. Posteriormente, el personal farmacéutico revisaba el historial clínico, las prescripciones crónicas y entrevistaba al paciente para obtener la mejor historia farmacoterapéutica posible. Ésta se comparaba con la prescripción realizada al ingreso y las discrepancias se registraban en el evolutivo clínico. Finalmente, el personal médico clasificaba las discrepancias y modificaba la prescripción en caso necesario. Se compararon las características de los pacientes con y sin discrepancias no justificadas (DNJ) y se construyeron las curvas de característica operativa del receptor de aquellas con diferencias estadísticamente significativas, para determinar su sensibilidad y especificidad para seleccionar pacientes con DNJ. Resultados. Se incluyeron 380 pacientes, registrándose 845 DNJ, 600 justificadas no documentadas y 439 justificadas documentadas. Doscientos noventa y tres pacientes tuvieron al menos una DNJ (77%), 65 solo justificadas (17%) y 22 ninguna (6%). Las DNJ fueron: diferente dosis, vía o frecuencia (51%), omisión (39%), medicamento equivocado (8%) y comisión (2%). Las variables relacionadas con las discrepancias fueron número de medicamentos habituales y quién facilitaba la información. Conclusiones. En la mayoría de estudios la DNJ mayoritaria es la omisión, a diferencia de lo que ocurre en nuestro caso. La variable que permite seleccionar pacientes con mayor riesgo de presentar discrepancias es el número de medicamentos habituales. También aumenta el riesgo de sufrir DNJ cuando no es el propio paciente el que conoce y gestiona su tratamiento crónico (AU)

Objective. To quantify and to classify the discrepancies between the admission treatment and the usual patient treatment. To determine the variables that predict those patients that will have more benefit from medication reconciliation. Material and methods. A prospective medication reconciliation study was conducted in the Vascular Surgery Unit from March 2014 to December 2014. When the patients were admitted to the Vascular Surgery Unit, they were informed about the study and asked to prepare information about their chronic treatment. The pharmacist then checked their clinical records, outpatient prescriptions, and also interviewed the patient, obtaining the best pharmacotherapeutic history available. The discrepancies with the admission treatment were written into the patient electronic clinical records. Finally, the physician classified the discrepancies, and changed the treatment, if needed. The statistical analysis included a comparison between patients with and without a non-justified discrepancy (NJD). The statistically different characteristics were used to plot Receiver Operating Characteristic curves, in order to determine the sensitivity and the specificity of these variables to select patients with discrepancies. Results. A total of 380 patients were included. There were 845 non-justified, 600 justified non-documented, and 439 justified documented discrepancies. At least one NJD was identified in 293 patients (77%), with 65 patients (17%) having only justified discrepancies, and 22 patients (6%) having no discrepancies. NJD were: different dose, route or schedule (51%), omission (39%), wrong drug (8%) and commission (2%). The variables associated with discrepancies were number of chronic medications drugs and provider of information. Conclusions. In most studies, omission is the most frequent error. In contrast, in our study the most frequent error is different dose, route, or schedule. The variable that allows selecting patients at higher risk of discrepancies is the number of chronic drugs. This risk is also increased if the patients are not the manager of their own medication (AU)

Conciliación de la medicación al ingreso y alta hospitalaria. Una experiencia consolidada / Medication reconciliation at admission and discharge. A consolidated experience

La conciliación de la medicación es actualmente una de las principales estrategias para reducir los errores de medicación relacionados con la transición asistencial. Objetivo. Describir una metodología de trabajo que permita garantizar la continuidad asistencial del paciente en relación con la farmacoterapia, al ingreso y al alta hospitalaria. Material y método. Se describe la metodología implantada en un hospital de tercer nivel y los principales resultados de la conciliación de medicación al ingreso y alta de pacientes mayores de 75 años en el Servicio de Traumatología durante el año 2014. Resultados. Las fases de la metodología fueron: 1. obtención de la historia farmacoterapéutica (al menos 2 fuentes de información); 2. análisis de discrepancias y validación de la medicación al ingreso: se realizó un check list para estandarizar el proceso; 3. comunicación del perfil farmacoterapéutico: se diseñó un formulario en la historia clínica electrónica; y 4. conciliación de la medicación al alta hospitalaria e información al paciente: entrega de esquema posológico y recomendaciones al paciente. Aplicando esta metodología, en 2014 se conciliaron 318 pacientes ingresados en traumatología (294 al ingreso y alta). El 35,5% presentó al menos un error de conciliación. La media de errores por paciente conciliado fue de 0,69. En el 74,1% de los pacientes se entregó información escrita al alta. Conclusiones. Esta metodología ha permitido establecer un flujo de trabajo que facilita la coordinación interprofesionales; disminuir los errores de medicación y dar respuesta a uno de los principales problemas de la continuidad asistencial (AU)

Medication reconciliation is currently one of the main strategies to reduce medication errors related to transitional care. Objective. To describe a method that would ensure continuity of patient care as regards drug therapy from admission to discharge. Methods. A description is presented on the methodology implemented in a tertiary hospital and the main results of medication reconciliation at admission and discharge of patients older than 75 years in the Trauma Unit during 2014. Results. The phases of the methodology were: 1. Obtain medication history (at least two sources of information); 2. Analysis of discrepancies and validation of medication on admission: A checklist was made to standardise the process, 3. Report on the pharmacotherapeutic profile: a form was designed in electronic medical records, and 4. Medication reconciliation at discharge and patient information: presenting the dosing schedule and recommendations to the patient. The medication of 318 patients admitted to Trauma was reconciled (294 at admission and discharge) by applying this methodology during the study period. There was at least one medication reconciliation error in 35% of cases. The mean error per patient reconciled was 0.69. Written discharge information was given to 74.1% of patients. Conclusions. This methodology has allowed a workflow to be established that facilitates coordination between healthcare providers, in order to reduce medication errors and to respond to one of the main problems of continuity of care (AU)

Conciliación de la medicación: desde el ingreso hasta la atención primaria / Medication reconciliation: from admission to primary care

Objetivos. Implementar un circuito de conciliación de la medicación interniveles, integral y multidisciplinar en una organización sanitaria integrada. Medir las discrepancias detectadas en cada uno de los pasos estudiados. Método. Estudio de intervención, prospectivo y de un año de duración. La medicación se concilió en 3 momentos distintos del paso del paciente por el sistema sanitario: al ingreso en el hospital, al alta y cuando el paciente acudió a su médico de Atención Primaria. Se recogieron y resolvieron las discrepancias detectadas cada vez que se concilió la medicación, y se cuantificó el número total de medicamentos antes y después de cada proceso de conciliación. Resultados. Entre el 1 de noviembre de 2013 y el 30 de octubre de 2014 se concilió la medicación a 77 pacientes, 63% hombres, con una media de edad de 69,5 años. La media de discrepancias por paciente fue de 7,85 al ingreso, 3,67 al alta y 2,19 en Atención Primaria. Conclusiones. Este programa de conciliación de la medicación, además de detectar y resolver las discrepancias, ha sido un punto de partida para establecer nuevas vías de comunicación entre los diferentes profesionales sanitarios que han intervenido en el programa y difundir la cultura de seguridad dentro de la organización (AU)

Objectives. To implement a medication reconciliation circuit of inter-level, comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach in an integrated health organization. To measure the discrepancies detected in each of the steps studied. Method. A prospective intervention study of one-year duration. The medication is reconciled at admission to the hospital, at discharge and when the patient goes to his Primary Care physician. The number and type of discrepancies detected each time the medication is reconciled are collected and resolved, as well as the total number of drugs before and after each reconciliation process quantified. Results. Between November 1, 2013 and October 31, 2014 the medication had been reconciled to 77 patients, 63% male, mean age 69,5 years. Mean admission discrepancy per patient was 7,85, 3,67 at discharge and 2,19 at Primary Care. Conclusions. This program of medication reconciliation, in addition to detect and resolve discrepancies, has been a starting point for establishing new channels of communication between the different health professionals who have participated in the program and disseminate the safety culture within the organization (AU)

Adecuación de la historia farmacoterapéutica y errores de conciliación en un servicio de urgencias / Accuracy in the medication history and reconciliation errors in the emergency department

Fundamento y objetivo: Evaluar la calidad de la historia farmacoterapéutica registrada en un servicio de urgencias hospitalario (SUH) de un hospital de tercer nivel. Determinar la prevalencia de errores de conciliación (EC). Material y método: Estudio unicéntrico, prospectivo y de intervención. Se comparó la lista de medicación habitual obtenida por un farmacéutico frente a la registrada por el médico para identificar discrepancias. Posteriormente, se comparó la medicación habitual con la prescripción activa (SUH). Todas las discrepancias no justificadas se comentaron con el médico para determinar si se trataba de un EC. Se realizó un análisis univariante para identificar factores asociados con la aparición de EC. Resultados: El farmacéutico identificó un mayor número de fármacos habituales por paciente respecto al médico (6,89 frente a 5,70; p < 0,05). Únicamente el 39% de los fármacos identificados por el médico se registraron correctamente en la historia clínica. La principal causa de discrepancia fue la omisión de información a nivel de fármaco (39%) o de posología (33%). Se detectaron 157 EC que afectaron a 85 pacientes (43%), mayoritariamente por omisión (62%). Los principales factores asociados a EC fueron la edad y la polimedicación. La presencia de un cuidador/familiar responsable de la medicación fue un factor protector. No se encontró asociación entre discrepancias en el registro y EC. Conclusiones: La recogida de la historia farmacoterapéutica es un proceso susceptible de mejora. El farmacéutico puede ayudar a obtener una anamnesis de calidad e incrementar la seguridad del paciente interceptando EC. Es necesario mejorar los sistemas de información para evitar este tipo de incidentes (AU)

Background and objective: To assess the accuracy of pharmaceutical anamnesis obtained at the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary referral hospital and to determine the prevalence of medication reconciliation errors (RE). Material and method: This was a single-center, prospective, interventional study. The home medication list obtained by a pharmacist was compared with the one recorded by a doctor to identify inaccuracies. Subsequently, the home medication list was compared with the active prescription at the ED. All unexplained discrepancies were checked with the doctor in charge to evaluate if a RE has occurred. An univariate analysis was performed to identify factors associated with RE. Results: The pharmacist identified a higher number of drugs than doctors (6.89 versus 5.70; P < 0.05). Only 39% of the drugs obtained by doctors were properly written down in the patient's record. The main cause of discrepancy was omission of information regarding the name of the drug (39%) or its dosage (33%). One hundred and fifty-seven RE were identified and they affected 85 patients (43%), mainly related to information omission (62%). Age and polymedication were identified as main risk factors of RE. The presence of a caregiver or relative in the ED was judged to be a protective factor. No relationship was found between inaccuracies in the registries and RE. Conclusions: The process of obtaining a proper pharmaceutical anamnesis still needs improvement. The pharmacist may play a role in the process of obtaining a good quality anamnesis and increase patient safety by detecting RE. Better information systems are needed to avoid this type of incidents (AU)

Conciliación de la medicación en farmacia comunitaria / Reconciliation of the medication in community pharmacy

Introducción: La conciliación del tratamiento farmacológico consiste en revisar y registrar de forma completa y precisa la medicación habitual de un paciente, con objeto de conseguir la seguridad del mismo en cuanto al uso de los medicamentos. El objetivo principal de este estudio es cuantificar las discrepancias de conciliación producidas como consecuencia de la transición sanitaria del paciente entre los distintos niveles asistenciales. Métodos: Estudio piloto descriptivo multicéntrico desarrollado con 29 pacientes en seis farmacias comunitarias onubenses durante tres meses. Se estudia el tratamiento farmacológico del paciente comparando su tratamiento habitual con el nuevo tratamiento instaurado. Para la toma de decisiones se emplean la Base de Datos de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios, el método Dáder en seguimiento farmacoterapéutico y los criterios Stopp-Start en pacientes mayores de 65 años. Resultados: En un 37,9% de los pacientes estudiados se encontraron discrepancias en la medicación, principalmente en pacientes que proceden del hospital (36,4% tras alta hospitalaria y 45,5% tras visita al especialista). Las discrepancias mayoritarias tras la conciliación se detectan en la patología cardiovascular, seguida en menor medida por la patología renal. En un 36,4% de los casos el tipo de error observado ha sido la duplicidad de tratamiento farmacológico para una misma patología y en un 27,3% de los pacientes se detectaron enfermedades que no estaban siendo tratadas. Asimismo, se observaron pautas erróneas en el tratamiento (18,2%) y dosis erróneas de administración (9,1%). Un 81,8 % de los pacientes fue derivado al médico. Conclusión: Las discrepancias en el tratamiento farmacológico de un paciente tras el cambio de nivel asistencial son muy elevadas. Dado que el farmacéutico comunitario es el último profesional sanitario en contacto con el paciente antes de la administración del medicamento, su intervención permite detectar estas discrepancias, disminuyendo la morbilidad asociada a las mismas y contribuyendo a garantizar la continuidad asistencial (AU)

Introduction: Proper usage of medicines is the main objective of the medication reconciliation. It consists of a method to review systematically the patient medicine intakes to guarantee their safety. Objectives: This paper aims to demonstrate the correlation between failure in treatment reconciliation and patient changes in the different care levels. Methods: A multisite descriptive pilot study was developed in six pharmacies from Huelva for three months. Twenty nine patients’ ordinary pharmacological treatments were compared to new prescribed treatments. BOT PLUS medicine database, Dader method and Stopp-Start criteria were used in the decision making process to analyze data. Results: A 37.9% patients show discrepancies in their pharmacological treatments, mainly those who come from a hospital discharge (36.4%) and those who come from specialists (45.5%). Heart disease patients showed the highest discrepancies, followed by kidney disease patients. Discrepancies were due to double prescription for the same pathology (36.4%) and non treatment diseases detection (27.3%). Additionally, mistakes in treatment (18.2%) and mistakes in dosage prescription (9.1%) were observed. As a consequence, 81.8% were sent back to receive medical attention. Discussion: As a summary, discrepancies in pharmacological treatments are found to be very high when patients change care levels. Pharmacist role to avoid these discrepancies is key, since they are the last sanitary professional in contact with the patient before medicines intake (AU)

Estudio clínico de conciliación de la medicación al ingreso hospitalario en pacientes de las áreas de medicina interna y cirugía / Clinical study of medication reconciliation at hospital admission with patients in the areas of internal medicine and surgery

Objetivos. Examinar el grado de complejidad farmacoterapéutico en pacientes crónicos ingresados. Analizar la conciliación de la medicación al ingreso hospitalario. Detectar el número, naturaleza e impacto de los errores de conciliación. Analizar el protocolo de conciliación vigente y la aportación del farmacéutico al mismo. Material y Métodos. Se analizó la medicación de pacientes de medicina interna y cirugía durante un mes en una clínica privada. La historia farmacoterapéutica se obtuvo a partir de la historia clínica y los registros de dispensación de medicamentos a las 48 horas post-ingreso. Se evaluaron las discrepancias de medicación, los errores asociados a ellas y la calidad del protocolo de conciliación. Resultados. Fueron incluidos 60 pacientes con 62,5 ± 17,2 años de edad y con 2,7 ± 1,9 enfermedades crónicas por paciente. El número de medicamentos habituales y hospitalarios por paciente fue 5,4 ± 2,8 y 6,0 ± 2,9 respectivamente. Se observaron 2,6 ± 2,5 discrepancias no justificadas por paciente y éstas representaron el 33,5 %. El 49,3 % de los errores presentaron daño potencial asociado y 1,3 ± 1,9 alcanzaron a cada paciente. La calidad del protocolo aumenta hasta el 94 % con la intervención del farmacéutico. Conclusiones. La farmacoterapia de los pacientes crónicos ingresados es compleja en el ámbito comunitario y hospitalario. Existe un número considerable de discrepancias no justificadas asociadas a errores graves al ingreso hospitalario. Los protocolos de conciliación deben ser revisados para alcanzar en la práctica una reducción de los errores de medicación y el farmacéutico debe tomar un papel activo en ellos

Objectives. Examine the degree of complexity of pharmacotherapy in chronic patients. Analyze the continuity of medication at hospital admission. Detect the number, nature and impact of medication errors. Evaluate the hospital reconciliation protocol and analyze the contribution of the pharmacist. Methodology. Patients in the areas of internal medicine and surgery were selected for a month. Sources consulted to elaborate the medication history were the medical history and listings of dispensing drugs in unit doses. 48 hours after admission, medication discrepancies and medication errors associated with them were evaluated. The current protocol was examined too. Results. A total of 60 patients were included with an average age of 62.5 ± 17.2 years and 2.7 ± 1.9 per patient chronic diseases. The number of regular medication and during admission per patient was 5.4 ± 2.8 and 6.0 ± 2.9 respectively. 33.5% of the discrepancies were not justified and the average of them per patient was 2.6 ± 2.5. 49.3% of the discrepancies showed potential harm. An average of 1.3 ± 1.9 discrepancies with potential associated harm reached each patient. The medication reconciliation protocol, with the contribution of the pharmacist, was qualified with 94 out of 100 points. Conclusions. Pharmacotherapy of chronic patients is complex in community and hospital services. There is a high number of unjustified discrepancies at admission. Medication reconciliation protocols must be reviewed to obtain quality standards and reduce medication errors. The pharmacist should collaborate in the protocol

Adecuación terapéutica en pacientes crónicos / Therapeutic appropriateness in chronic patients

La falta de adecuación terapéutica constituye un importante problema de salud en los pacientes con patologías crónicas, generalmente ancianos, por su asociación a deterioro de la salud, pérdida de capacidad funcional y de calidad de vida y aumento de la mortalidad. Aunque existen múltiples variables relacionadas con la prescripción potencialmente inapropiada, la polimedicación es el principal factor asociado. Por todo lo anterior, es necesario implementar en la práctica clínica diaria actuaciones encaminadas a mejorar la adecuación terapéutica y disminuir la prescripción inadecuada de medicamentos. Dicha estrategia debe comenzar en el momento mismo de la prescripción, existiendo distintas herramientas de ayuda para la revisión de la adecuación de la medicación previamente prescrita. Toda intervención debe partir de un análisis individualizado de la situación y contar con la aceptación del paciente, especialmente si se trata de retirada de medicamentos. Además, estas actuaciones de revisión deben ser repetidas de forma periódica dadas las circunstancias cambiantes en el estado de salud, en los objetivos terapéuticos y en la perspectiva del paciente.Se han realizado distintos estudios con el objetivo de evaluar este tipo de intervenciones, habiendo evidenciado mejoras en resultados intermedios (reducción de prescripción potencialmente inapropiada), pero con escasos datos publicados sobre resultados en términos de nivel de salud. Existe consenso en la necesidad de continuar con su implementación (AU)

Inappropriate prescribing is an important health problem in patients with chronic diseases, usually elderly, due to its association with health deterioration, loss of functional capacity and quality of life, and increased mortality. Although there are multiple variables related to potentially inappropriate prescribing, polypharmacy is the main associated factor.For all of the above, it is necessary to implement actions in daily clinical practice aimed at improving therapeutic appropriateness and reducing inappropriate drug prescription. This strategy should start at the moment of prescription, having different tools to help to review the adequacy of previously prescribed medication. Any intervention must begin with an individualized analysis of the situation, and must have the patient’s approval, especially in the case of drug withdrawal. Furthermore, these review actions should be periodically repeated, given the changing circumstances in the state of health, the therapeutic goals and the patient’s perspective. Various studies have been carried out in order to evaluate such interventions, having demonstrated improvements in intermediate outcomes (reduction of potentially inappropriate prescribing), but with little published data on outcomes in terms of health status. There is consensus on the need to continue with its implementation (AU)

Impacto de una aplicación informática en la mejora de la conciliación de la medicación al alta hospitalaria / Impact of a software application to improve medication reconciliation at hospital discharge

Fundamento y objetivo. Evaluar el impacto de una aplicación informática en la mejora de la calidad de la información sobre el tratamiento domiciliario y los cambios tras la hospitalización en el informe de alta hospitalaria. Analizar la incidencia de errores y clasificarlos. Material y método. Diseño: estudio cuasi-experimental antes/después con grupo control no equivalente. Población de estudio: pacientes ingresados en plantas de especialidades médicas. Intervención: puesta en marcha de una aplicación informática integrada en la historia clínica digital. Variables: porcentaje de pacientes conciliados del total de pacientes con alta y porcentaje de pacientes con más de una discrepancia no justificada. Resultados. Se han evaluado 349 pacientes; 199 (preintervención) y 150 (postintervención). En la fase preintervención en 157 pacientes (78,8%) se había realizado el proceso de conciliación, hallándose discrepancias no justificadas en 99 (63,0%). El tipo de error más frecuente, n= 339 (78,5%), fue por prescripción incompleta. Tras la implantación, cuando se utilizó la aplicación, la conciliación se realizó en todos los pacientes. El porcentaje de pacientes con discrepancias no justificadas se redujo del 63,0% al 11,8% con el uso de la aplicación (p < 0,001). El tipo de discrepancias encontradas al usar la aplicación fue prescripción confusa, motivada por falta de familiarización de los profesionales con la nueva herramienta. Conclusiones. La utilización de una aplicación informática como apoyo al proceso de conciliación ha demostrado mejorar la calidad de la información en el informe de alta hospitalaria sobre el tratamiento del paciente, siendo necesario continuar su desarrollo como estrategia para mejorar el proceso de conciliación (AU)

Background and objective. To assess the impact of a software application to improve the quality of information concerning current patient medications and changes on the discharge report after hospitalization. To analyze the incidence of errors and to classify them. Material and method Design. Quasi-experimental pre / post study with non-equivalent control group study. Study population: Medical patients at hospital discharge. Intervention: implementation of a software application. Variables: Percentage of reconciled patient medication on discharge, and percentage of patients with more than one unjustified discrepancy. Results. A total of 349 patients were assessed; 199 (pre-intervention phase) and 150 (post-intervention phase). Before the implementation of the application in 157 patients (78.8%) medication reconciliation had been completed; finding reconciliation errors in 99 (63.0%). The most frequent type of error, 339 (78.5%), was a missing dose or administration frequency information. After implementation, all the patient prescriptions were reconciled when the software was used. The percentage of patients with unjustified discrepancies decreased from 63.0% to 11.8% with the use of the application (p < .001). The main type of discrepancy found on using the application was confusing prescription, due to the fact that the professionals were not used to using the new tool. Conclusions. The use of a software application has been shown to improve the quality of the information on patient treatment on the hospital discharge report, but it is still necessary to continue development as a strategy for improving medication reconciliation (AU)

Errores de conciliación al ingreso hospitalario en pacientes pluripatológicos mediante metodología estandarizada / Medication reconciliation on hospital admission in patients with multiple chronic diseases using a standardised methodology

Objetivos: Conocer la incidencia de los errores de conciliación en el ingreso hospitalario en pacientes pluripatológicos a través de una metodología estandarizada. Material y método: Estudio observacional prospectivo en pacientes pluripatológicos ingresados en un hospital de tercer nivel. Se realizó conciliación al ingreso hospitalario siguiendo la metodología considerada como más adecuada para estos pacientes por un panel de expertos, según el método Delphi. La fuente de información principal utilizada fue la historia clínica digital, tanto la hospitalaria como la de atención primaria, recurriendo a la entrevista clínica en caso necesario. Se registraron tanto las discrepancias justificadas por el clínico como los errores de conciliación. Se analizó el tipo de error, los grupos farmacológicos implicados y se valoró la gravedad de cada uno de ellos. Resultados: Se incluyeron 114 pacientes, encontrándose errores de conciliación en el 75,4% de ellos. Los pacientes tenían 1.397 fármacos prescritos, de los cuales 234 presentaron discrepancias que requirieron aclaración con el clínico responsable. De estas 234 discrepancias, el clínico modificó la prescripción en 184 de ellas, consideradas errores de conciliación. Los tipos de error fueron: omisión de medicamentos (139), comisión (9), dosis, pauta o vía diferentes (24) y por prescripción incompleta (12). Entre los subgrupos farmacoterapéuticos más afectados por los errores se encontraron los antianémicos, vitaminas, y psicoanalépticos. Conclusiones: El porcentaje de pacientes pluripatológicos con errores de conciliación es elevado. El desarrollo de una metodología dirigida especialmente a los pacientes pluripatológicos consigue detectar y disminuir en un alto porcentaje los errores de medicación relacionados con los cambios de niveles asistenciales (AU)

Objectives: To determine the incidence of medication errors when admitting patients with multiple chronic conditions to hospital, using a standard method. Material and method: A prospective, observational study was conducted on patients with multiple chronic conditions admitted to a tertiary hospital. The medication reconciliation was performed using the standard method considered the most suitable for these patients by an expert panel, following the Delphi methodology. The main information source used for this was the computerised clinical notes, both in primary care and in the hospital, recurring to a clinical interview if necessary. Discrepancies justified by the clinician, as well as reconciliation errors were recorded. The type of error and the pharmacological group involved were analysed and the seriousness of each one of them was assessed. Results: A total of 114 patients were included, with reconciliation errors being found in 75.4% of cases. The patients had 1397 prescribed drugs, of which 234 had discrepancies that required clarification by the clinician responsible. The clinician modified the prescription in 184 of these discrepancies, which were considered reconciliation errors. The types of error were: medication omission (139), commission (9), dose, prescription or different routes (24) and by incomplete prescription (12). Anti-anaemic drugs, vitamins, and psychoanaleptics were among the pharmacotherapeutic groups most affected by the errors. Conclusions: The percentage of patients with multiple chronic conditions with errors is elevated. The development of methods particularly directed at patients with multiple chronic conditions manages to detect and decrease a high percentage of medication errors associated with changes of care levels (AU)

La modernización de los hospitales militares: Reingeniería de procesos / No disponible

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