Pharmacy-facilitated medication history program at a community teaching hospital: A pre-post study in an emergency department

Abstract

Abstract Purpose A study was conducted to compare the accuracy of medication histories compiled by pharmacy technicians with histories obtained through the usual multidisciplinary process. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a community teaching hospital from January 2017 through February 2018. Inclusion criteria included patient age of at least 18 years, use of 1 or more medications at the time of admission, and hospital admission through the emergency department. Each electronically documented medication history was assessed for accuracy. The objective was to compare the accuracy of pharmacy technician–collected medication histories to those obtained through the usual multidisciplinary process. Results Of 215 patients screened, 183 were included in the study: 91 patients whose medication histories were obtained through the usual multidisciplinary process and 92 whose medication histories were collected by pharmacy technicians. Overall, documentation for 1,773 medications listed in medication histories was reviewed. The primary outcome of medication history accuracy occurred 38% of the time with the usual multidisciplinary process and 70% of the time with pharmacy technician collection of medication histories (P < 0.001). Conclusion The study showed that the accuracy of medication histories was improved when histories were obtained by pharmacy technicians instead of via the usual multidisciplinary process.