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Clinical outcomes from the use of Medication Report when elderly patients are discharged from hospital

Midlöv, Patrik LU orcid ; Deierborg, Eva ; Holmdahl, Lydia LU ; Höglund, Peter LU and Eriksson, Tommy LU (2008) In PHARMACY WORLD & SCIENCE 30(6). p.840-845
Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate whether a Medication Report also can reduce the number of patients with clinical outcomes due to medication errors. Method A prospective intervention study 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. For patients with at least one medication error all contacts with hospital or primary care within 3 months after discharge were identified. For each contact it... (More)
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate whether a Medication Report also can reduce the number of patients with clinical outcomes due to medication errors. Method A prospective intervention study 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. For patients with at least one medication error all contacts with hospital or primary care within 3 months after discharge were identified. For each contact it was evaluated whether this was caused by the medication error. We also compared medication errors that have been evaluated as high or moderate clinical risk with medication errors without clinical risk. Main outcome measures Need for medical care in hospital or primary care within three months after discharge from hospital. Medical care is readmission to hospital as well as visits of study population to primary and out-patient secondary health care. Results The use of Medication Report reduced the need for medical care due to medication errors. Of the patients with Medication Report 11 out of 248 (4.4%) needed medical care because of medication errors compared with 16 out of 179 (8.9%) of patients without Medication Report (p = 0.049). The use of a Medication Report significantly reduced the risk of any consequences due to medication errors, p = 0.0052. These consequences included probable and possible care due to medication error as well as administrative procedures (corrections) made by physicians in hospital or primary care. Conclusions The Medication Report seems to be an effective tool to decrease adverse clinical consequences when elderly patients are discharged from hospital care. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Seamless care, Medication errors, Drug-related problems, Clinical outcomes, Discharge planning, Sweden
in
PHARMACY WORLD & SCIENCE
volume
30
issue
6
pages
840 - 845
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000261036900015
  • scopus:56549088783
  • pmid:18654837
ISSN
0928-1231
DOI
10.1007/s11096-008-9236-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2411af68-74d0-4368-964b-d8e47116a286 (old id 1379155)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:13:33
date last changed
2024-02-25 12:04:47
@article{2411af68-74d0-4368-964b-d8e47116a286,
  abstract     = {{Objective The objective of this study was to investigate whether a Medication Report also can reduce the number of patients with clinical outcomes due to medication errors. Method A prospective intervention study 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. For patients with at least one medication error all contacts with hospital or primary care within 3 months after discharge were identified. For each contact it was evaluated whether this was caused by the medication error. We also compared medication errors that have been evaluated as high or moderate clinical risk with medication errors without clinical risk. Main outcome measures Need for medical care in hospital or primary care within three months after discharge from hospital. Medical care is readmission to hospital as well as visits of study population to primary and out-patient secondary health care. Results The use of Medication Report reduced the need for medical care due to medication errors. Of the patients with Medication Report 11 out of 248 (4.4%) needed medical care because of medication errors compared with 16 out of 179 (8.9%) of patients without Medication Report (p = 0.049). The use of a Medication Report significantly reduced the risk of any consequences due to medication errors, p = 0.0052. These consequences included probable and possible care due to medication error as well as administrative procedures (corrections) made by physicians in hospital or primary care. Conclusions The Medication Report seems to be an effective tool to decrease adverse clinical consequences when elderly patients are discharged from hospital care.}},
  author       = {{Midlöv, Patrik and Deierborg, Eva and Holmdahl, Lydia and Höglund, Peter and Eriksson, Tommy}},
  issn         = {{0928-1231}},
  keywords     = {{Seamless care; Medication errors; Drug-related problems; Clinical outcomes; Discharge planning; Sweden}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{840--845}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{PHARMACY WORLD & SCIENCE}},
  title        = {{Clinical outcomes from the use of Medication Report when elderly patients are discharged from hospital}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11096-008-9236-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11096-008-9236-1}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}