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

Medication discrepancies identified by medication reconciliation among patients with acute coronary syndrome

Medication errors such as medication discrepancies are known as one of the leading cause of death. Medication discrepancies mostly occur during admission and at time transfer of care and discharge. Medication reconciliation process has pivotal role to avert medication discrepancies and improve patient safety and quality. Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are prone to medication discrepancies due to acute manifestations, simultaneous use of different medicines and having different co-morbidities. This study aimed to determine medication discrepancies identified by medication reconciliation among patients with ACS. In an observational study, patients with ACS admitted to a specialized Hospital in Baneh County, Kurdistan province during September 2023 and January 2024 were included. Medication reconciliation process was done when the patient was admitted. The history of medicine use was collected through interviews with the patient, their caregivers, as well as observing the medicines that were accompany with the patients. Number and type of unintentional medication discrepancies and related factors were evaluated. A total of 280 ACS patients (mean age: 63.8 ± 14.2, male gender: 59.3%) were included in the study. About 68% had at least 2 underlying diseases. The mean daily medicines taken by the patients during admission were 8.5 ± 1.54. The number (percentage) of unintentional inconsistency was observed in 78 (27.3%), and omission (39.7%) and changes in dosage (20.5%) had the highest frequency of unintentional medication discrepancies, respectively. Cardiovascular agents such as anti-dyslipidemia and antiplatelet had the highest frequency of unintentional medication discrepancies. The number of underlying diseases and daily medications before hospitalization increase the odds of discrepancies by 2.15 and 1.49 times, respectively (p-value < 0.05). Medication discrepancies identified by medication reconciliation among patients is relatively common. Unintentional medication discrepancies that have the potential to harm the ACS patients should be given more attention, especially in patients with multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy.

Effectiveness of Clinical Pharmacists-Led Medication Reconciliation to Prevent Medication Discrepancies in Hospitalized Patients: A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial

Aim

Medication discrepancies are a major safety concern for hospitalized patients and healthcare professionals. Medication Reconciliation (MR) is a widely used tool in different practice settings to ensure the proper use of medications.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the clinical pharmacists-led MR process in identifying, preventing, and resolving medication discrepancies among hospitalized patients.

Patients and Methods

This was a prospective study with an observational and interventional part, conducted at the Internal Medicine Department of a tertiary Hospital in Sudan from January to September 2023. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups, the observation group, in which the routine MR process was performed by doctors (usual care), and the intervention group, in which clinical pharmacists led the MR process.

Results

Compared to the usual care, the clinical pharmacists were more efficient in identifying and preventing medication discrepancies (P=0.001). From a total of 1012 medications, clinical pharmacists' interventions contributed to the detection of (39%) equivalent to 2.2 discrepancies per patient, resolving 325 (83%) and preventing (55%) clinically significant discrepancies. Dose discrepancy (43%) was the most common type of identified discrepancies. These interventions were accepted by (98%) of doctors and implemented in (86%) of the total cases. The main predictors of medication discrepancies (P ≤0.05) for patients were the length of hospital stay, patient-hospital transfer, high number of medication histories, and increased number of medications used during hospitalization.

Conclusion

Through the implementation of the MR process, the clinical pharmacist's interventions substantially contributed to the detection and resolution of medication discrepancies among hospitalized patients. It is recommended that this intervention be disseminated in more hospitals in Sudan to encourage the implementation of appropriate practices.

A quality improvement study on the effect of electronic transmission of a basic discharge medication report on medication discrepancies in patients discharged from the hospital

BACKGROUND

Medication discrepancies can occur in transitions of care because of a lack of communication between hospitals and community pharmacies. These discrepancies can lead to preventable adverse drug events (ADEs).

AIM

To investigate the effect of electronic transmission of the basic discharge medication report on unintentional medication discrepancies observed between this report and the 28-day post-discharge status in the community pharmacy.

METHOD

The study took place in a Dutch teaching hospital and 8 community pharmacies. A quality improvement study with a nonrandomized, historically controlled intervention design was performed. The intervention consisted of the electronic transmission of a basic discharge medication report to the community pharmacies. Unintentional medication discrepancies were identified by comparing the basic discharge medication report to the 28-day post-discharge medication record in community pharmacies. The main outcome measure was the proportion of drugs with one or more unintentional discrepancies compared between the historical control group and intervention group, using the chi-square test. Secondary outcome measure was the proportion of patients with one or more unintentional discrepancies.

RESULTS

The participants used a total of 1078 drugs in the control group and 862 in the intervention group. The intervention significantly reduced the proportion of drugs with an unintentional discrepancy from 230 out of 1078 in the control group (21.3%) to 149 out of 862 drugs in the intervention group (17.3%; p = 0.025). At patient level, a non-significant increase was seen (62.4-78.8%; p = 0.41).

CONCLUSION

The electronic transmission of the basic discharge medication report reduced the proportion of drugs with an unintentional discrepancy after discharge, but not the proportion of patients.

Improving the Efficiency of Medication Reconciliation in Two Taiwanese Hospitals by Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance PharmaCloud Medication System

Purpose

Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is a process to ensure complete and accurate communication of patient medication information throughout care transitions to prevent medication errors. Hospitals in Taiwan have stride to implement a universal protocol for MedRec. To establish a feasible protocol indigenously, the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol was incorporated with the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) PharmaCloud patient medication profile. The efficiency and error detection capability of this modified protocol was evaluated in two hospitals.

Methods

A prospective, non-randomized, unblinded, multicenter cohort study was conducted. Subjects were recruited among patients admitted for colorectal or orthopedic surgery with at least 4 or more chronic drugs. To obtain the best possible medication history (BPMH), the control group was conducted according to the WHO protocol, and the experimental group used the modified WHO protocol with the medication data from the PharmaCloud system. The time spent on the two protocols was recorded. Admission and discharge orders were reconciled against the BPMH to identify any discrepancies. Discrepancies were evaluated by appropriateness, prescribing intentions, and types of inappropriateness. The levels of potential harm were classified for inappropriate discrepancies.

Results

The mean time to obtain BPMH in the control group was 34.3±10.8 minutes and in the experimental group 27.5±11.5 minutes (P = 0.01). The experimental group had more subjects with discrepancies (87.9%) than the control (58.3%) (p < 0.001). The discrepancies in both admission and discharge orders for the experimental group (84.5 and 67.2%) were higher than those of the control (47.9 and 37.5%). Many inappropriate discrepancies were classified as the potential harm of level 2 (77.8%).

Conclusion

Through the establishment of BPMH with the medication data from the Taiwan NHI PharmaCloud, MedRec could be achieved with greater efficiency and error detection capability in both the admission and discharge order validation processes.

Medication discrepancies among hospitalized patients with hypertension: assessment of prevalence and risk factors

Background

Medication errors remained among the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide. Furthermore, a high percentage of medication errors are classified as medication discrepancies. This study aimed to identify and quantify the different types of unintentional medication discrepancies among hospitalized hypertensive patients; it also explored the predictors of unintentional medication discrepancies among this cohort of patients.

Methods

This was a prospective observational study undertaken in a large teaching hospital. A convenience sample of adult patients, taking ≥4 regular medications, with a prior history of treated hypertension admitted to a medical or surgical ward were recruited. The best possible medication histories were obtained by hospital pharmacists using at least two information sources. These histories were compared to the admission medication orders to identify any possible unintentional discrepancies. These discrepancies were classified based on their severity. Finally, the different predictors affecting unintentional discrepancies occurrence were recognized.

Results

A high rate of unintentional medication discrepancies has been found, with approximately 46.7% of the patients had at least one unintentional discrepancy. Regression analysis showed that for every one year of increased age, the number of unintentional discrepancies per patient increased by 0.172 (P = 0.007), and for every additional medication taken prior to hospital admission, the number of discrepancies increased by 0.258 (P= 0.003). While for every additional medication at hospital admission, the number of discrepancies decreased by 0.288 (P < 0.001). Cardiovascular medications, such as diuretics and beta-blockers, were associated with the highest rates of unintentional discrepancies in our study. Medication omission was the most common type of the identified discrepancies, with approximately 46.1% of the identified discrepancies were related to omission. Regarding the clinical significance of the identified discrepancies, around two-third of them were of moderate to high significance (n= 124, 64.2%), which had the potential to cause moderate or severe worsening of the patient´s medical condition.

Conclusions

Unintentional medication discrepancies are highly prevalent among hypertensive patients. Medication omission was the most commonly encountered discrepancy type. Health institutions should implement appropriate and effective tools and strategies to reduce these medication discrepancies and enhance patient safety at different care transitions. Further studies are needed to assess whether such discrepancies might affect blood pressure control in hypertensive patients.

Broadening the concept of patient safety culture through value-based healthcare

Purpose

Decision-makers are looking for innovative approaches to improve patient experience and outcomes with the finite resources available in healthcare. The concept of value-based healthcare has been proposed as one such approach. Since unsafe care hinders patient experience and contributes to waste, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how the value-based approach can help broaden the existing concept of patient safety culture and thus, improve patient safety and healthcare value.

Design/methodology/approach

In the arguments, the authors use the triple value model which consists of personal, technical and allocative value. These three aspects together promote healthcare in which the experience of care is improved through the involvement of patients, while also considering the optimal utilisation and allocation of finite healthcare resources.

Findings

While the idea that patient involvement should be integrated into patient safety culture has already been suggested, there is a lack of emphasis that economic considerations can play an important role as well. Patient safety should be perceived as an investment, thus, relevant questions need to be addressed such as how much resources should be invested into patient safety, how the finite resources should be allocated to maximise health benefits at a population level and how resources should be utilised to get the best cost-benefit ratio.

Originality/value

Thus far, both the importance of patient safety culture and value-based healthcare have been advocated; this paper emphasizes the need to consider these two approaches together.

A comparison between medication reconciliation by a pharmacy technician and the use of an online personal health record by patients for identifying medication discrepancies in patients' drug lists prior to elective admissions

AIM

Medication discrepancies (MDs), defined as unexplained differences among medication regimens, cause important public health problems with clinical and economic consequences. Medication reconciliation (MR) reduces the risk of MDs, but is time consuming and its success relies on the quality of different information sources. Online personalized health records (PHRs) may overcome these drawbacks. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the level of agreement of identified MDs between traditional MR and an online PHR and the correctness of the identified MDs with a PHR.

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was conducted at the cardiology, neurology, internal medicine and pulmonary department of the Amphia Hospital, the Netherlands. Two weeks prior to a planned admission all patients received an invitation from a PHR to update their medication file derived from the Nationwide Medication Record System (NMRS). At admission MR was performed with all by a pharmacy technician, who created the best possible medication history (BPMH) based on the NMRS data and an interview. MDs were determined as discrepancies between the available information from the NMRS and the input and alterations patients or pharmacy technician made. The number, correctness of patients' alterations, type and severity of identified MDs were analysed.

RESULTS

Of 488 patients approached, 155 (31.8 %) patients who both used the PHR and had received MR were included. The mean number of MDs identified with MR and PHR was 6.2 (SD 4.3) and 4.7 (SD 3.7), respectively. 82.1 % of the drug information noted by the patient in the PHR was correct compared to the BPMH and 98.6 % had no clinically relevant differences between the lists.

CONCLUSION

Patients who used an online PHR can relatively accurately record a list of their medication. Further research is required to explore the level of agreement and the correctness of a PHR in other (larger) hospital(departments).

Hospital-Wide Medication Reconciliation Program: Error Identification, Cost-Effectiveness, and Detecting High-Risk Individuals on Admission

Background

Medication reconciliation (MR) on admission has potential to reduce negative patient outcomes. The objectives of this prospective observational study were to 1) measure the impact a hospital-wide MR program has on home medication error identification at hospital admission, 2) demonstrate cost-effectiveness of this program, and 3) identify risk factors placing individual patients at higher risk for medication discrepancies.

Methods

Technicians obtained medication histories on adult patients admitted to the hospital that managed their own medications. Frequency and type of medication errors were recorded. Cost avoidance estimations were determined based on expected adverse drug event rates. Logistic regression analysis was used to test for associations between medication errors and patient characteristics. Results were considered significant when p-value was less than 0.05.

Results

The study included 817 patients. Technicians recorded a mean of 6.1 medication discrepancies per patient (SD ± 0.4) and took 28.5 minutes (SD ± 1.2 minutes) to complete a medication history. Omission, commission, and dosing/frequency errors occurred in 82%, 59%, and 50% of medication histories, respectively. We estimated cost avoidance of $210.33 per patient with this program. Female gender, age, and high alert/risk medication use were linked to an increase in the likelihood of occurrence of a medication discrepancy.

Conclusion

This study validated the ability of a pharmacy technician to identify errors, demonstrated economic cost-effectiveness, provided new data on time to obtain a BPMH, and further identified factors that contribute to the occurrence of medication discrepancies. Potentially harmful medication discrepancies were identified frequently on admission. With further research, it may be possible to identify those at highest risk for home medication discrepancies upon admission.

Medication Reconciliation: The Foundation of Medication Safety for Patients Requiring Dialysis

Medication-related problems are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Patients requiring dialysis are at heightened risk for adverse drug reactions because of the prevalence of polypharmacy, multiple chronic conditions, and altered (but not well understood) medication pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics inherent to kidney failure. To minimize preventable medication-related problems, health care providers need to prioritize medication safety for this population. The cornerstone of medication safety is medication reconciliation. We present a case highlighting adverse outcomes when medication reconciliation is insufficient at care transitions. We review available literature on the prevalence of medication discrepancies worldwide. We also explain effective medication reconciliation and the practical considerations for implementation of effective medication reconciliation in dialysis units. In light of the addition of medication reconciliation requirements to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program, this review also provides guidance to dialysis unit leadership for improving current medication reconciliation practices. Prioritization of medication reconciliation has the potential to positively affect rates of medication-related problems, as well as medication adherence, health care costs, and quality of life.

Identifying Safety Hazards Associated With Intravenous Vancomycin Through the Analysis of Patient Safety Event Reports

Intravenous (IV) vancomycin is one of the most commonly used antibiotics in U.S. hospitals. There are several complexities associated with IV vancomycin use, including the need to have an accurate patient weight for dosing, to provide close monitoring to ensure appropriate drug levels, to monitor renal function, and to continue delivery of the medication at prescribed intervals. There are numerous healthcare system factors, including workflow processes, policies, health information technology, and clinical knowledge that impact the safe use of IV vancomycin. Past literature has identified several safety hazards associated with IV vancomycin use and there are some proposed solutions. Despite this literature, IV vancomycin–related safety issues persist. We analyzed patient safety event reports describing IV vancomycin–related issues in order to identify where in the medication process these issues were appearing, the type of medication error associated with each report, and general contributing factor themes. Our results demonstrate that recent safety reports are aligned with the issues already identified in the literature, suggesting that improvements discussed in the literature have not translated to clinical practice. Based on our analysis and current literature, we have developed a shareable infographic to improve clinician awareness of the complications and safety hazards associated with IV vancomycin and a self-assessment tool to support identification of opportunities to improve patient safety during IV vancomycin therapy. We also recommend development of clear guidelines to optimize health information technology systems to better support safe IV vancomycin use.

The effect of inpatient pharmaceutical care on nephrotic syndrome patients after discharge: a randomized controlled trial

Background Clinical pharmacists can play an important role in chronic diseases management, but limited attention has been given to the pharmaceutical care of nephrotic syndrome patients. Objective To evaluate the impact of inpatient pharmaceutical care on medication adherence and clinical outcomes in nephrotic syndrome patients. Setting A tertiary first-class hospital in Shanxi, China. Method We conducted a randomized controlled trial on 61 patients with nephrotic syndrome. The intervention consisted of medication reconciliation, pharmacist visits every day, discharge counseling and education by 2 certificated pharmacist, while the control group received usual care. Assessments were performed at baseline, month-1, month-3 and month-6 after hospital discharge. Main outcome measure medication adherence and patients' clinical outcomes. Results 61 patient completed the trial. Baseline variables were comparable between the two groups. The decline in medication adherence of patients in the intervention group after hospital discharge was restrained effectively at month-6 (p < 0.05). However, the groups did not differ in clinical outcomes, medication discrepancies, adverse drug events and readmission rate. The rate of return visits of the pharmaceutical care group was higher at month-1 and month-6 after discharge (p < 0.05). Conclusion Pharmaceutical inpatient care improved adherence in patients with nephrotic syndrome after hospital discharge, the effect of the intervention on clinical outcomes, medication discrepancies, adverse drug events or readmission was insignificant. These results are promising but should be tested in other settings prior to broader dissemination.

Factors, influencing medication errors in prehospital care: A retrospective observational study

To determine the frequency of medication errors in prehospital care and to investigate the influencing factors - diagnostic agreement (DA), the medical educational status, the specialty, the approval for emergency medicine of the prehospital emergency physician, the patient age and sex and the time of deployment.We retrospectively reviewed 708 patients from 2013 to 2015, treated by the prehospital emergency physicians of the emergency medical service center Bad Belzig, Germany. The medication appropriateness was determined by a systematic comparison of the administered medication in prehospital deployments with the discharge diagnosis, according to current guidelines. The influencing factors were examined by univariate analysis of medication appropriateness (MA), using the χ, the Mann-Whtiney U and the Welch tests. We calculated a cut-off value with the Youden index to predict absent MA, according to patients age. The significance level was P = .05.MA was absent in 220 of 708 patients (31.1%). In the case of present DA, MA was absent in 103 of 491 patients (20.9%). In the case of absent DA, MA was absent in 117 of 217 patients (53.9%) (P = .01). MA was absent in 82 of 227 patients (36.1%), treated by specialist and in 138 of 481 patients (28.7%), treated by resident physicians (P = .04). The calculated cut-off value to predict absent MA was 75.5 years. MA was absent in 100 of 375 patients (26.7%) of the younger patient age group (≤75.5 years), MA was absent 120 of 333 patients (36.0%) of the older patient age group (>75.5 years) (P = .01). Absent MA showed peak values (46.7%-60%) at night from 3 to 6 AM (P = .01) The other investigated factors had no influence on MA.The correctness of medication as a quality feature in prehospital care shows a necessity for improvement with a proportion of 31.1% medication errors. The correct diagnosis by the prehospital emergency physician and his rapid accumulation of experience had an impact on the correctness of medication in prehospital care. Elderly patients (75+ years) and nighttime prehospital deployments (3-6 AM) were identified as high risk for medication errors by the emergency physicians.

Medication Appropriateness in Prehospital Care

BACKGROUND

The aim of the present study was to determine the medication appropriateness (MA) in prehospital emergency physician deployments according to the hospital discharge diagnosis and to investigate the factors influencing the MA.

METHODS

The MA was determined by a systematic comparison of the administered medication in prehospital emergency physician deployments with the discharge diagnosis in a period of 24 months at the emergency medical services in Bad Belzig. Categorial variables for the specialty, medical educational status, and approval for emergency medicine of prehospital emergency physicians were examined univariate for relations with the MA, using the χ2 test with the significance level of p=0.05.

RESULTS

The MA was present in 69% (n = 488) cases. The MA was present in 64% of cases by specialists and in 71% by resident physicians (p=0.04). The specialty and the approval for emergency medicine of the prehospital emergency physician did not show significant results. MA was present in 46% (n = 100) of cases with incorrect diagnoses, and it was present in 79% (n = 388) of cases with correct diagnoses by the prehospital emergency physician (p=0.01). In cases of missing MA, 224 drugs and 23 different drugs were administered by the prehospital emergency physician.

CONCLUSIONS

The MA in prehospital emergency physician deployments shows a necessity for improvement with 31% medication errors. Incorrect diagnoses by the prehospital emergency physician seem to lead to medication errors in prehospital emergency physician deployments. The necessary standards and guidelines for administration of drugs should be taken into account in educational courses. The wide-ranging emergency medical training and the rapid accumulation of operational experience seem to play a crucial role for correct administration of medication in the prehospital emergency physician deployments.