Seminar Operational 5: Medicines across the interface- who is responsible?

Abstract:

Medication errors occur in all health care systems^[1]but there is a particular vulnerability at the interface between care settings, especially at the time of admission to Hospital. Two literature reviews reported unintentional variances of 30–70% between the medications patients were taking before admission and their prescriptions on admission^[2]. Furthermore patients discharged from hospital with complex medication regimens are faced with additional difficulties, for example in accessing their medicines in a safe and timely manner.

It is increasingly recognised that to improve patient safety, information and expertise needs to flow between primary care and secondary care. When a patient enters hospital it must be clear exactly what medication they are taking. When they leave hospital it must be equally clear what has changed in their therapy, how they obtain their medicines and how these new medicines are to be administered safely. In order to achieve these goals, collaborations between community and hospital healthcare professionals have to be enhanced, resulting in better therapeutic outcomes for the patients.