[Pilot study on the participation of parents in the medication reconciliation process]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the medication reconciliation process when parents are asked to complete the medication reconciliation form (MRF) and to evaluate their participation through a semi-directed questionnaire.

This is a pilot study conducted in the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital in November 2010. All patients from triage categories III, IV and V recruited by the pharmacist received an explanatory guide, an MRF and a pencil. For each MRF completed by parents, we invited them to verbally answer questions from a semi-directed questionnaire. We evaluated the compliance of MRF (13 criteria per form) and the content of the MRF (five criteria per medication order).

A total of 160 parents were met and 127 parents completed the MRF. The proportion of criteria evaluated to be compliant varied between 1 % and 87 % for the form and from 14 % to 78 % for the medication order. Only 2 % of MRFs complied with all five criteria related to the medication order. A majority of parents (83 %) considered the medication reconciliation process to be important/very important, a majority of parents (73 %) considered the explanatory guide to be useful/very useful, and a majority (77 %) considered the labels used per criterion to be clear/very clear. Finally, 75 % of parents used only their memory to complete the MRF.

It is difficult to obtain MRFs that comply with all criteria. However, parents' participation is suitable and feasible. There is no doubt that an electronic patient record with access to the pharmacological profile shared at all steps of the continuum of care is necessary to enable an efficient medication reconciliation process.