Pharmacy-Led Medication Reconciliation Program Reduces Adverse Drug Events and Improves Satisfaction in a Community...

Area of Science:

• Clinical Pharmacy
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Medication errors pose a significant risk, potentially leading to moderate to severe patient harm.
• Pharmacy-led medication reconciliation is a critical process for identifying and correcting these errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a pharmacy-led medication reconciliation program on patient outcomes.
• To assess changes in healthcare workers' perceptions of the program's effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A pilot pharmacy-led admission and discharge medication reconciliation program was implemented in a 432-bed hospital.
• Comparative analysis of patient outcomes, workforce productivity, and interdisciplinary team satisfaction pre- and post-program implementation.
• Statistical analysis including chi-squared tests for patient outcomes and Likert scale for survey responses.

Main Results:

• A 49% decrease in adverse drug event (ADE) rates (p < 0.001) and a 29.7% decrease in complication rates (p = 0.001) were observed.
• The program facilitated the completion of 6,530 medication histories and review of 70,050 medications, with significant updates to patient allergy and medication information.
• Statistically significant improvements in interdisciplinary healthcare team satisfaction were reported post-implementation.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy-led medication reconciliation, involving pharmacists and technicians, effectively reduces ADEs and complications.
• The program demonstrably improves interdisciplinary healthcare team satisfaction, contributing to enhanced patient safety.