Nurse-pharmacist collaboration on medication reconciliation prevents potential harm

Leonard S. Feldman, Linda L. Costa, E. Robert Feroli, Terry Nelson, Stephanie S. Poe, Kevin D. Frick, Leigh E. Efird, Redonda G. Miller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Medication reconciliation can prevent some adverse drug events (ADEs). Our prospective study explored whether an easily replicable nurse-pharmacist led medication reconciliation process could efficiently and inexpensively prevent potential ADEs. Methods: Nurses at a 1000 bed urban, tertiary care hospital developed the home medication list (HML) through patient interview. If a patient was not able to provide a written HML or recall medications, the nurses reviewed the electronic record along with other sources. The nurses then compared the HML to the patient's active inpatient medications and judged whether the discrepancies were intentional or potentially unintentional. This was repeated at discharge as well. If the prescriber changed the order when contacted about a potential unintentional discrepancy, it was categorized as unintentional and rated on a 1-3 potential harm scale. Results: The study included 563 patients. HML information gathering averaged 29 minutes. Two hundred twenty-five patients (40%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 36%-44%) had at least 1 unintended discrepancy on admission or discharge. One hundred sixty-two of the 225 patients had an unintended discrepancy ranked 2 or 3 on the harm scale. It cost $113.64 to find 1 potentially harmful discrepancy. Based on the 2008 cost of an ADE, preventing 1 discrepancy in every 290 patient encounters would offset the intervention costs. We potentially averted 81 ADEs for every 290 patients. Conclusion: Potentially harmful medication discrepancies occurred frequently at both admission and discharge. A nurse-pharmacist collaboration allowed many discrepancies to be reconciled before causing harm. The collaboration was efficient and cost-effective, and the process potentially improves patient safety.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)396-401
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Hospital Medicine
Volume7
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2012

Keywords

  • Adverse drug events
  • Continuity of care transition and discharge planning
  • Cost effectiveness
  • Medical errors
  • Medication errors
  • Medication reconciliation
  • Patient safety

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Leadership and Management
  • Internal Medicine
  • Fundamentals and skills
  • Health Policy
  • Care Planning
  • Assessment and Diagnosis

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