Obtaining medication histories via telepharmacy: an observational study

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy practice
• Patient safety
• Telehealth

Background:

• Medication reconciliation is crucial for reducing hospital admission errors.
• Obtaining a best possible medication history (BPMH) is vital but often time-consuming.
• Telepharmacy emerged as a solution during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize transmission risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of telephone-obtained BPMHs compared to in-person obtained BPMHs.
• To assess the proportion of accurate BPMHs acquired remotely.
• To determine if telepharmacy is a viable alternative for medication reconciliation.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, observational study in a tertiary hospital.
• Pharmacists obtained BPMHs via telephone and then in-person.
• Deviations were categorized, and accuracy was defined as no deviations.

Main Results:

• 78% of patients had an accurate telephone-obtained BPMH (no deviations).
• 96% of all documented medications showed no deviation.
• Higher medication deviations were associated with patients on more medications, regular/PRN non-prescription, or topical medications.

Conclusions:

• Telepharmacy is a reliable and time-efficient method for obtaining BPMHs.
• Remote BPMH collection via telepharmacy is a practical alternative to in-person methods.
• This approach can support medication reconciliation processes effectively.