[Medication Plans at Hospital Admission - a Multicentre Analysis Using Statutory Health Insurance Data]

Area of Science:

• Pharmacoeconomics
• Health Services Research
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Intersectoral drug therapy changes can cause drug-related problems.
• Assessing medication plan impact on prescription continuity is crucial for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare drug prescription continuity in patients with and without medication plans at hospital admission.
• To evaluate the role of medication plans in ensuring seamless medication management across healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 279 patients across 6 hospitals in Saxony.
• Compared medication data at admission and discharge with 6-month pre- and post-hospital claims data.
• Analyzed drug prescription continuity based on the presence of a medication plan.

Main Results:

• 62% of patients had a medication plan at admission, often self-prepared.
• Patients with medication plans showed significantly higher drug continuation rates (53% vs. 40%) at hospital admission (p < 0.001).
• No significant difference in drug continuation rates was observed after hospital discharge (66% vs. 64%).

Conclusions:

• Medication plans can enhance drug prescription continuity during hospitalization.
• Self-prepared medication plans were common, highlighting potential quality issues.
• Medication plans did not significantly improve post-discharge prescription continuity.