An Improved Comprehensive Medication Review Process to Assess Healthcare Outcomes in a Rural Independent Community...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Patient Safety
• Medication Management

Background:

• Traditional 'brown bag' medication reviews are common but their patient value needs assessment.
• Modernizing medication reconciliation is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
• The Blue Bag Intervention (BBI) program aimed to enhance traditional reviews.

Purpose of the Study:

• To modernize the medication reconciliation process.
• To collect data on patient prescription and over-the-counter drug use.
• To quantify interventions performed by clinical pharmacy staff.

Main Methods:

• Partnered with a Quality Improvement Organization to trial the BBI program.
• Implemented BBI as a follow-up tool in a diabetes self-management education/training clinic.
• Collected data on patient medication use and staff interventions.

Main Results:

• The BBI program identified an average of 2.2 medication-related events per patient.
• Over 50% of identified events significantly affected patient safety.
• The BBI program facilitated identification of adherence issues and drug-drug interactions.

Conclusions:

• The Blue Bag Intervention (BBI) program effectively enhances medication reviews.
• This modernized approach improves the identification of patient safety issues.
• Pharmacists can play a vital role in proactive medication safety through such programs.