Implementation of pharmacy-led preoperative medication reconciliation in surgical oncology patients

Pharmacy-led medication history collection and reconciliation have demonstrated decreased medication errors, increased patient safety, and improved cost-savings. However, literature lacks documented efforts to implement such services in the preoperative space, where having accurate medication lists following complex procedures with high postoperative admission rates is critical.

The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation of a telephonic pharmacy student and pharmacist-led preoperative medication reconciliation program.

The service was piloted using third- and fourth-year pharmacy students to conduct telephonic medication histories for urologic surgical oncology patients. Weekly reports identified eligible patients with scheduled procedures within 2 weeks' time. Using standardized methods for patient communication and documentation, students authored telephone encounter notes that were reviewed and signed by pharmacist preceptors. Pharmacist preceptors also reconciled home medication lists based on students' findings.

A standardized preoperative medication reconciliation process was developed and implemented utilizing third- and fourth-year pharmacy students. Resulting notes were available for surgical staff on the day of patients' procedures and upon potential postoperative admission.

A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate successfully documented medication histories collected by pharmacy students within the pharmacy-led preoperative medication reconciliation program.

Forty-six medication reconciliation notes were identified between August 2021 and February 2022, and 39 met inclusion criteria. Amongst the 177 medication additions, deletions, and edits, deletions were the most common, and 95% of patients had at least 1 medication discrepancy identified. A total of 33 medication classes were represented by the identified discrepancies, and each encounter took an average of 33 minutes to complete.

Preoperative medication reconciliation services can be successfully accomplished through a telephonic pharmacy student and pharmacist-led workflow. Accurate medication histories aid in minimizing medication errors and increasing patient safety.