Pharmacists’ medication reconciliation interventions during admission and transfer from an emergency department at a tertiary care hospital: a randomized pilot study and evaluation of physician and patient perceptions

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to assess the impact of pharmacist interventions during the transition of care. Background: Medication discrepancies can occur at various levels of transition, such as during admission, the transition from emergency to special wards or from special to general wards, and during discharge. Discrepancies can be detected through the process of medication reconciliation. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare discrepancies among patients exposed to pharmacist intervention groups and those who were not and assess the perception of healthcare professionals and patients towards integrating pharmacists in the transition care process. Methods: A pharmacist-led interventional study was conducted for six months on patients above 18 years of age and either sex who were admitted to the emergency department, had chronic diseases, and subsequently transferred to another department (any). The patients were randomized into intervention and control groups. The pharmacist performed a medication reconciliation and medication review to identify discrepancies in every transition in both the groups, and then reported to the treating physician to resolve in the intervention group. Results: Among the 73 patients recruited in the study, 152 discrepancies were identified. The total discrepancies observed in the control and intervention groups were 78 (51.3%) and 74 (48.6%), respectively. The majority, 35.53%, were found during the transition from emergency to special wards. The physician, upon pharmacist recommendations, accepted and resolved 48 discrepancies in the intervention group. The healthcare professional acceptance rate of pharmacist interventions was 64.86%. Conclusion: The transitions of care are at risk for errors due to medication discrepancies, and pharmacists could potentially identify and resolve discrepancies. Healthcare professionals and patients reported to be satisfied by the involvement of clinical pharmacists in the healthcare team.