Background Patient safety is compromised when incorrect data are recorded in the electronic medication module (EMM). To ensure increased consistency between the medicines consumed by the patient with the medicines prescribed in the EMM, the hospital pharmacy scaled up the top-up service from a logistical “Model 1” to an extended top-up service ”Model 2”.

Purpose To evaluate whether implementation of Model 2 could increase the number of correct records of generic substitution and administration status in the EMM on two hospitals wards.

Material and methods Model 2 focused on generic substitution and correct recording in the EMM.

The intervention study consisted of implementation of Model 2 including a two-hour training session for nursing staff regarding management of generic substitution and recording of use of the patients’ own medicine in the EMM. Data of incorrect recording in the EMM were collected during two time periods; for five weeks before the intervention and for five weeks after.

Results Medicine prescriptions were evaluated in two orthopaedic wards; 699 patients (6021 prescriptions) before and 448 patients (3491 prescriptions) after the intervention.

Introduction of Model 2 significantly reduced the number of incorrect generic prescriptions in EMM with 58%; 59 incorrect prescriptions before and 14 after the intervention.

Similarly the intervention reduced the number of incorrectly recorded prescriptions of use of the patients’ own medicine in the EMM, by 88%; 282 incorrect records of the patients’ own medicine before and 21 after the intervention.

Conclusion The introduction of an extended top-up service increased correct recording in the EMM for generic substitution and recording of the patients’ own medicine, respectively.

The hospital pharmacy will offer an extended top-up service to all wards in the hospital.

References and/or Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the participating wards from Aalborg University Hospital and The Danish Research Unit for Hospital Pharmacy, Amgros I/S, Copenhagen, Denmark for scientific guidance.

No conflict of interest.