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Partnered pharmacist medication charting (PPMC) in regional and rural general medical patients
Erica Y Tong1, Phuong U Hua1, Gail Edwards1
1Pharmacy Department, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Objective:
Errors in hospital medication charts are commonly encountered and have been associated with morbidity and mortality. This study evaluates the impact of the Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) model on medication errors in general medical patients admitted to rural and regional hospitals.
Design/Method:
A prospective cohort study, comparing before and after the introduction of PPMC was conducted in 13 rural and regional health services. This included a 1-month pre-intervention phase and 3-month intervention phase. In the intervention phase, PPMC was implemented as a new model of care in general medical units.
Setting:
Victoria, Australia.
Participants:
Patients admitted to General Medical Units.
Outcome Measure:
The proportion of medication charts with at least one error was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included inpatient length of stay (LOS), risk stratification of medication errors, Medical Emergency Team (MET) calls, transfers to ICU and hospital readmission.
Results:
Of the 669 patients who received standard medical charting during the pre-intervention period, 446 (66.7%) had at least one medication error identified compared to 64 patients (9.5%) using PPMC model (p < 0.001). There were 1361 medication charting errors identified during pre-intervention and 80 in the post-intervention. The median (interquartile range) inpatient length of stay was 4.8 (2.7-10.8) in the pre-intervention and 3.7 days (2.0-7.0) among patients that received PPMC (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
The PPMC model was successfully scaled across rural and regional Victoria as a medication safety strategy. The model was associated with significantly lower rates of medication errors, lower severity of errors and shorter inpatient length of stay.
Insights
The Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) model significantly reduced medication errors in rural hospitals. This medication safety strategy also decreased hospital length of stay for general medical patients.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Patient Safety
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Medication errors in hospitals are a significant cause of patient harm.
- Current charting methods contribute to medication errors, impacting patient outcomes.
- Rural and regional hospitals face unique challenges in medication management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) model.
- To assess the impact of PPMC on medication errors in general medical patients.
- To determine if PPMC improves patient safety in rural and regional healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study comparing before and after PPMC implementation.
- Conducted across 13 rural and regional health services in Victoria, Australia.
- Involved a 1-month pre-intervention phase and a 3-month intervention phase using PPMC.
Main Results:
- A significant reduction in medication errors was observed: 66.7% of charts had errors pre-PPMC versus 9.5% post-PPMC (p < 0.001).
- Total medication charting errors decreased from 1361 to 80.
- Inpatient length of stay was reduced from a median of 4.8 to 3.7 days (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) model is a successful medication safety strategy.
- PPMC implementation led to significantly lower rates and severity of medication errors.
- The PPMC model is associated with a reduced inpatient length of stay.
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