The effects of developing medication reconciliation on medication errors at Pakkred Hospital
Keywords:
medication reconciliation, medication errors, transitions of care, chronic diseasesAbstract
Background: Medication errors are a common issue among patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions, particularly during transitions of care such as admission, interdepartmental transfer, or discharge from the hospital. To enhance medication safety, Pakkred Hospital has developed and implemented a medication reconciliation (MR) process. MR is a systematic approach to reviewing and verifying the accuracy of a patient's medication information.
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the MR process on reducing Medication Errors within Pakkred Hospital.
Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study conducted at Pakkred Hospital during February – June 2025. The study population consisted of 310 inpatients diagnosed with at least one chronic condition, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or cardiovascular disease, regardless of age and gender. Participants were divided into two groups: pre- and post-implementation of MR process. Descriptive statistics were used. Inferential statistics included Fisher’s Exact Test Chi-square test and incidence rate analysis.
Results: Most patients were male (53.55%), with a mean age of 68.84 ± 12.75 years, 60.97% were aged between 61 and 80 years. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (46.45%) and combined hypertension with diabetes (34.84%). The median length of hospital stay was 5 days (IQR = 4), and the median number of medications received per patient was 7 (IQR = 3). After implementing the MR process, the medication error rate significantly decreased from 11.73 to 4.62 events per 1,000 prescriptions (p = 0.046). The number of patients experiencing medication errors also declined significantly, from 27 patients (17.42%) to 5 patients (3.23%) (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: The implementation of the medication reconciliation (MR) process significantly reduced medication errors and enhanced medication safety for patients. These findings highlight the effectiveness of MR as a critical intervention in improving the quality of care, particularly during transitions of care in hospitalized patients with chronic diseases.
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