Comparing Medication History Capture Rates In-Person Versus Hybrid: A Multisite Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Informatics

Background:

• Accurate medication history is crucial for patient safety and regulatory compliance, particularly for The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals.
• Existing literature offers limited comparison between in-person and virtual/hybrid methods for completing medication histories.
• Healthcare systems seek efficient strategies to optimize medication history processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare medication history capture rates between hybrid and in-person completion models.
• To evaluate differences in medication history acuity scores (MHAS) between hybrid and in-person methods.
• To assess the feasibility of hybrid models for medication history services.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study across a single health system with multiple sites.
• Inclusion of patients admitted through the Emergency Department in October 2022.
• Comparison of medication history capture rates and MHAS between two hybrid sites and one in-person site.

Main Results:

• Medication history capture rates were higher in hybrid sites (91%, 80%) compared to the in-person site (74%).
• No statistically significant differences were observed in the total number of medications documented or the number of changes made to medication histories between in-person and hybrid models.
• Medication History Acuity Score (MHAS) showed no significant difference between the completion methods.

Conclusions:

• Hybrid medication history models demonstrate comparable effectiveness to in-person methods regarding capture rates and data accuracy.
• The findings support the implementation of hybrid models as a feasible strategy to enhance medication history services in various healthcare settings.
• Hybrid approaches can potentially improve health systems' capacity to meet regulatory requirements for patient safety goals.