What's New? Improving Home Medication Lists for Patients on Outpatient Dialysis

Nursing working in outpatient hemodialysis centers face a unique set of challenges working with patients with end stage kidney disease who carry a high medication burden for their multiple chronic conditions. Patient medication lists may not always accurately reflect the entirety of medications prescribed or taken; therefore, nurses are not aware of medication changes that occur in between dialysis treatments. This places patients at risk for medication-related problems or adverse events during treatment. A quality improvement project was developed that included an addition to the daily weight sheet related to any medication changes prior to each patient treatment. Survey results found that assessing for medication changes prior to each treatment improved the accuracy of patient medication lists, which ultimately decreased complications for patients and also improved nurse satisfaction.