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Pharmaceutical Interventions on Hospital Discharge Prescriptions: Prospective Observational Study Highlighting
Sophie Grandchamp1, Anne-Laure Blanc1, Marine Roussel1
1Pharmacy of the Eastern Vaud Hospitals, Route du Vieux Séquoia 20, 1847, Rennaz, Switzerland.
Drugs - Real World Outcomes
|December 31, 2021
Summary
Community pharmacists identified numerous drug-related problems in hospital discharge prescriptions, intervening in all cases to enhance patient safety during care transitions. This highlights their crucial role in preventing medication errors.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Patient Safety
- Healthcare Systems
Background:
- Hospital discharge involves complex medication transitions, posing risks for drug-related problems.
- Multiple healthcare professionals are involved, increasing the potential for errors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate pharmaceutical interventions by community pharmacists on hospital discharge prescriptions.
- To assess the impact of community pharmacists on medication safety during care transitions.
Main Methods:
- Observational, prospective study in 14 Swiss community pharmacies.
- Included patients with discharge prescriptions (≥3 drugs) from internal medicine.
- Measured intervention types, time spent, and medication changes.
Main Results:
- All 64 patients' discharge prescriptions required interventions (mean 6.9 per patient).
- Most common interventions: confirming omissions, substitutions, dose adjustments.
- 52% of prescriptions required 10-20 minutes for validation; 16.4 medication changes per patient.
Conclusions:
- Hospital discharge prescriptions are complex and carry significant medication error risks.
- Community pharmacists are vital in identifying and preventing drug-related problems.
- Interventions by community pharmacists improve medication safety during care transitions.
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