The limitations of this study included the small sample size (59 patients) and the short duration (data collection over 1 month). In addition, the principal investigator was not blinded. Conversely, all data were reported by means of standard forms that required complete information, which we believe limited the amount of bias introduced. In addition, for [...]
To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first randomized trial directly comparing medication histories obtained by pharmacists with those obtained by pharmacy technicians. Previous studies have examined medication reconciliation and the role of the pharmacy technician in both preoperative and hemodialysis clinics and have obtained favourable results. However, the role of the pharmacy technician [...]
An unintentional discrepancy is defined by Safer Healthcare Now! as a medication error that can lead to one or more adverse drug events. The national average for unintentional discrepancies per patient for December 2008 was 0.54, as reported in the March 2009 quarterly report for medication reconciliation. In the current study, the pharmacists had a [...]
Of 120 patients identified during December 2008 as being eligible for inclusion, 60 were enrolled and 60 were assigned to not participate. Thirty of the enrolled patients were interviewed first by the pharmacist, and 30 patients were interviewed first by the technician. One of the patients interviewed was excluded from the analysis because both the [...]
This study was a prospective comparison of current medication histories obtained by pharmacy technicians and by pharmacists in the emergency department at The Moncton Hospital, a 400-bed community hospital. The emergency department at this institution is a combined adult and pediatric care facility that is designated as a level II trauma centre, with about 55 [...]
INTRODUCTION Medication reconciliation is a formal process of obtaining a complete and accurate list of each patient’s current home medications and comparing the list with orders written at each transition of care. The Safer Healthcare Now! Campaign is a national program intended to improve the safety of the Canadian health care system. The campaign consists [...]
Practitioners should also be educated about the importance of routinely collecting information for nonprescription products. Although a perception may exist that nonprescrip- tion medications are a relatively low priority in the context of a hospital admission, 7 (35%) of the patients in this study had an admission order discrepancy associated with a nonprescription medication, and [...]
