Medication reconciliation during internal hospital transfer and impact of computerized prescriber order entry.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Internal hospital transfer is a vulnerable time during which patients are at high risk of medication discrepancies that can result in clinically significant harm, medication errors, and adverse drug events.

OBJECTIVE:

To identify, characterize, and assess the clinical impact of unintentional medication discrepancies during internal hospital transfer and to investigate the influence of computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) on medication discrepancies.

METHODS:

All patients transferred between 10 inpatient units at 2 tertiary care hospitals were prospectively assessed to identify discrepancies. Interfaces included transfers between (1) units that both used paper-based medication ordering systems; (2) units that both used CPOE-based systems; and (3) units that used both paper-based and CPOE-based systems (hybrid transfer). The primary endpoint was the number of patients with at least 1 unintentional medication discrepancy during internal hospital transfer. Discrepancies were identified through assessment and comparison of a best possible medication transfer list with the actual transfer orders. A multidisciplinary team of clinicians assessed the potential clinical impact and severity of unintentional discrepancies.

RESULTS:

Overall, 190 patients were screened and 129 patients were included. Eighty patients (62.0%) had at least 1 unintentional medication discrepancy at the time of transfer, and the most common discrepancy was medication omission (55.6%). Factors that independently increased the risk of a patient experiencing at least 1 unintentional discrepancy included lack of best possible medication history, increasing number of home medications, and increasing number of transfer medications. Forty-seven patients (36.4%) had at least 1 unintentional discrepancy with the potential to cause discomfort and/or clinical deterioration. The risk of discrepancies was present regardless of the medication-ordering system (paper, CPOE, or hybrid).

CONCLUSIONS:

Clinically significant medication discrepancies occur commonly during internal hospital transfer. A structured, collaborative, and clearly defined medication reconciliation process is needed to prevent internal transfer discrepancies and patient harm.

• Authors: Justin Y Lee, Kori Leblanc, Olavo A Fernandes, Jin-Hyeun Huh, Gary G Wong, Bassem Hamandi, Neil M Lazar, Dante Morra, Jana M Bajcar, Jennifer Harrison
• Journal: The Annals of pharmacotherapy (Ann Pharmacother) Vol. 44 Issue 12 Pg. 1887-95 (Dec 2010) ISSN: 1542-6270 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21098753 (Publication Type: Evaluation Study, Journal Article)

Topics

• Aged
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Medical Order Entry Systems (statistics & numerical data)
• Medication Errors (prevention & control, statistics & numerical data)
• Medication Reconciliation (methods)
• Middle Aged
• Patient Transfer