Evaluation of medication reconciliation in a trauma unit

Abstract

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to assess the rate of discrepancies in medication reconciliation on admission patients in a trauma unit, and identifying potential risk factors associated with these discrepancies. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional, observational study was carried out to identify reconciliation errors in a tertiary hospital during the period from May 1 to July 16 of 2012. Medication history of the patient was compared with home medication data collected on admission, to identify reconciliation errors. These were classified according to the type and severity of the discrepancies. Statistical analysis by logistic regression was performed, using the presence of discrepancies as dependent variable. ResultsThe study included 164 patients, and reconciliation errors were found in 48.8%, of which 14.4% were considered highly relevant. Around two-thirds (66.7%) of the patients admitted to the emergency department showed unjustified discrepancies compared to 44.8% in scheduled patients. In total, 153 reconciliation errors were identified, being omitted drug the most frequent type of discrepancies (72%). The risk of discrepancies increases by 33% for each drug added to the usual home treatment. ConclusionThis study demonstrates the lack of quality in home medication recording in patients admitted to the trauma unit.