High-Risk Medication in Home Care Nursing: A Delphi Study

Abstract

Aims: The aims of the study were to reach consensus on which medications in home care nursing should be considered high-risk medication (HRM) and to obtain recommendations about which interventions home care nurses can perform to improve quality of care and safety in managing these HRM.

Design: This is an international Delphi study with 13 purposively selected experts from 4 different countries.

Methods: A 3-round iterative Delphi survey was conducted from May 2018 to October 2018, based on a list of 32 medications previously reported as HRM in community care. A proposal for HRM was based on this literature search, and experts were asked to reflect on which (groups of) medications should be considered HRM by home care nurses (completeness of the list, risk assessment per [group of] medication, the need for home care nurse interventions, and the need for an HRM care procedure). The cutoff point for consensus was set at 80% of expert agreement.

Results: The panel assessed the initial list and added 30 (groups of) medications. In the last round, consensus of 80% or more was reached for 27 (groups of) medications to be considered HRM by home care nurses. For 28 medications, additional interventions by a home care nurse were considered warranted. A procedure or protocol for home care nurses was deemed necessary for 12 medications.

Conclusions: We identified a set of (groups of) medications that should primarily be considered HRM by home care nurses.Impact:• What problem did the study address? This study clarified which medications should be considered HRM by home care nurses.• What were the main findings? Experts identified a set of 27 (groups of) medications that should primarily be considered HRM by home care nurses.• Where and on whom will the research have an impact? The results provide essential information for home care agencies when setting up an HRM policy.