[The information about discharge medication: what do general practitioners need?]

Area of Science:

• Pharmacotherapy
• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Informatics

Context:

• Discharge medication information is crucial for continuity of care.
• General practitioners (GPs) often receive discharge letters late or with incomplete medication data.
• Current data on German GPs' perspectives on discharge medication information is lacking.

Purpose:

• To assess German GPs' viewpoints on discharge medication information.
• To understand challenges in receiving and utilizing discharge medication data.
• To identify preferred methods for timely and complete medication information transfer.

Summary:

• A postal survey of 516 Berlin GPs revealed that most patients provide discharge medication information during the first practice visit post-discharge.
• Over 70% of GPs prefer receiving this information before the patient's first appointment.
• Fax and email were the preferred electronic communication methods.
• Nearly half of GPs reported missing information on medication changes and their rationale in discharge letters, despite deeming it important.

Impact:

• Addressing GPs' preferences for early and electronic communication can improve medication information transfer.
• Facilitating timely and comprehensive discharge medication data can enhance pharmacotherapy continuity.
• Meeting GPs' informational needs supports safer medication management at the tertiary to primary care interface.