Medication report reduces number of medication errors when elderly patients are discharged from hospital

Pharm World Sci. 2008 Jan;30(1):92-8. doi: 10.1007/s11096-007-9149-4. Epub 2007 Jul 28.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether a Medication Report can reduce the number of medication errors when elderly patients are discharged from hospital.

Method: We conducted a prospective intervention with retrospective controls on patients at three departments at Lund University Hospital, Sweden that where transferred to primary care. The intervention group, where patients received a Medication Report at discharge, was compared with a control group with patients of the same age, who were not given a Medication Report when discharged from the same ward one year earlier.

Main outcome measures: The main outcome measure was the number of medication errors when elderly patients were discharged from hospital.

Results: Among 248 patients in the intervention group 79 (32%) had at least one medication error as compared with 118 (66%) among the 179 patients in the control group. In the intervention group 15% of the patients had errors that were considered to have moderate or high risk of clinical consequences compared with 32% in the control group. The differences were statistically significant (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Medication errors are common when elderly patients are discharged from hospital. The Medication Report is a simple tool that reduces the number of medication errors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Drug Prescriptions
  • Drug Utilization Review*
  • Female
  • Hospitals, University
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Medication Errors / prevention & control*
  • Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care*
  • Patient Discharge*
  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy Service, Hospital / organization & administration*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sweden