Identifying Current Practices and Areas for Improvement in Medication Management During Care Transition Through an...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Poor care transition coordination leads to medical errors and readmissions.
• The hospital discharge to first appointment phase is high-risk for patients.
• Interprofessional collaboration is key to improving care quality but is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine interprofessional medication management during hospital discharge.
• To identify current practices and areas for improvement in this transition period.
• To focus on patients self-managing medications post-discharge.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using serial focus groups with patients and healthcare professionals.
• Purposive sampling and inductive thematic analysis of transcribed discussions.
• Categorization of findings using the Canadian National Interprofessional Competency (CIHC) Framework and a classification questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Identified strengths and weaknesses in CIHC competency domains: communication, patient partnership, role clarification, team functioning, and collaborative leadership.
• Interprofessional communication and patient partnership were present but needed improvement.
• Role clarification and collaborative leadership were significant challenges, impacting efficiency and coordination.

Conclusions:

• Existing practices highlight communication and patient involvement, but role clarity and leadership require development.
• Healthcare professionals are willing to collaborate, but systemic support is needed.
• Policy and coordinated efforts are essential for sustainable interprofessional models to enhance pharmaceutical care and patient outcomes.