Medication Rounds: A Tool to Promote Medication Safety for Children with Medical Complexity

Area of Science:

• Pediatric hospital medicine
• Pharmacology and pharmacy practice
• Patient safety and quality improvement

Background:

• Children with medical complexity (CMC) frequently have complex medication regimens.
• Suboptimal medication management poses significant risks for hospitalized CMC.
• Existing medication management strategies may not adequately address the needs of CMC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel strategy for developing and implementing medication rounds.
• To promote enhanced medication safety for hospitalized CMC.
• To present a pragmatic, pharmacy-led care model for medication management.

Main Methods:

• An interprofessional group designed and implemented a pharmacy-led medication rounding model.
• Weekly medication reviews were conducted for all patients on a general pediatrics CMC team.
• A comprehensive checklist was utilized during medication reviews by clinicians and pharmacists.

Main Results:

• The implemented medication rounding model fostered improved medication safety.
• The collaborative approach between clinicians and pharmacists enhanced medication management.
• The strategy proved pragmatic for a pediatric CMC team.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy-led medication rounds are an effective strategy for improving medication safety in hospitalized CMC.
• This model can be adapted for other complex inpatient populations.
• Interprofessional collaboration is key to successful medication safety initiatives.