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PS-125 Electronic alert system for primary care doctors from a medicines reconciliation application
  1. E Campos-Davila1,
  2. JC Roldán1,
  3. F Araujo-Rodríguez1,
  4. JJ Ramos-Báez2,
  5. D Guerra Estévez1,
  6. E Márquez-Fernández2
  1. 1Hospital Sas La Linea, Pharmacy, La Linea de La Concepcion, Spain
  2. 2Campo de Gibraltar HealthCare Area, Pharmacy, Algeciras, Spain

Abstract

Background Our Healthcare Area is implementing Medicines Reconciliation (MedRec) supported by The European Union Network for Patient Safety and Quality of Care. In a situation of limited human resources, computerised MedRec tools could help introduce medicines reconciliation.

Purpose To describe a MedRec application that generates electronic alerts for general practitioners (GP) when patients are discharged from the Hospital with reconciliation errors (RE), and its impact in Primary Care after 3 months of implementation.

Material and methods We have developed an application that can be integrated into the patient’s electronic medical records. The Application records the discrepancies (intentional/unintentional) of every MedRec Form made at admission or discharge and, at pharmacist demand, generates an electronic alert for the GP when a patient goes home with RE unsolved prior to hospital discharge (discrepancies between prescription at discharge and the active electronic prescriptions which allow regular pharmacy dispensing). In this retrospective observational study we measured REs and their severity at discharge, and the percentage of MedRec responded to by the GP after the alert was sent (considered correct if done before 5 days post-discharge). Data were analysed using SPSS.

Results 46 reconciliation errors were found in a total of 63 patients (0.73 per patient) evaluated. Eight (17.4%) REs were considered highly relevant. All REs were found in 34 patients (54%), the other 29 patients being properly reconciled at discharge. From the 34 alerts generated for the corresponding GP, only 15 (44%) were acted upon and the patient’s medicines reconciled in less than 5 days. Five (62.5%) of the highly relevant REs were amended in less than 5 days post-discharge.

Conclusion Less than a half of the alerts sent by the MedRec application were acted upon in a reasonable time. This means, although it can help in decreasing medicines errors in Primary Care, more time/training is needed for the GPs become more familiar with the tool.

References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.

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