1 Taking a “Best Possible Medication History” One of the most important things you can do to keep patients safe Jeffrey L. Schnipper, MD, MPH, FHM Director

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Taking a “Best Possible Medication History”Taking a “Best Possible Medication History”

One of the most important things you can do One of the most important things you can do

to keep patients safeto keep patients safe

Jeffrey L. Schnipper, MD, MPH, FHMJeffrey L. Schnipper, MD, MPH, FHM Director of Clinical Research, BWH Hospitalist ServiceDirector of Clinical Research, BWH Hospitalist Service

Associate Physician, Division of General Medicine, Associate Physician, Division of General Medicine,

Brigham and Women’s HospitalBrigham and Women’s Hospital

Co-Chair, Partners High Performance Medicine: Transitions in CareCo-Chair, Partners High Performance Medicine: Transitions in Care

Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical SchoolAssistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

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Goals of this Talk

• To understand the prevalence, predictors, and causes of medication errors during transitions in care

• To review the role of medication reconciliation as a way to improve medication safety

• To understand that taking a good preadmission medication history is the most important step in medication reconciliation

• To understand the steps needed to take a Best Possible Medication History

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Background

• Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) are an epidemic patient safety problem– Definition: Any injury due to medication

• Includes side effects, overuse, underuse, misuse

– ADEs: 5-40% of hospitalized patients, 12-17% post-discharge

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Background: Medication Safety at Discharge

• Period following hospital discharge is a vulnerable time– Multiple medication changes

– Rushed event, inadequate patient education

– Discontinuity of care, inadequate follow-up

• Result are potentially harmful medication discrepancies– Unexplained differences among documented regimens

across different sites of care that have potential for patient harm

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Medication Discrepancies: Causes

• “History Errors”– Example: Team doesn’t

know patient taking ASA, not recorded, not ordered at admission or discharge

– Sources inaccurate, out of date, unavailable

– Lack of time to access available sources

• “Reconciliation Errors”– Example: ASA on

preadmission medication list, held on admission, not restarted at discharge

– Lack of access to preadmission medication list, clerical error

– Problem more common at discharge

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Medication Discrepancies: Typology

Discrepancies

Intentional Unintentional

Documented UndocumentedPotential for Harm No Potential for Harm

History Error Reconciliation Error

Admission Discharge Admission Discharge

Omission Dose FormulationAdditional Medication

SubstitutionRouteFrequency Other

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DiscrepanciesN = 2066

Intentional1127 (55%)

Unintentional939 (45%)

Documented Undocumented Potential for Harm257 (27%)

No Potential for Harm682 (73%)

History Error186 (72%)

Reconciliation Error78 (30%)

Admission57 (22%)

Discharge129 (50%)

Admission10 (4%)

Discharge68 (26%)

Omission150 (60%)

Dose53 (21%)

Formulation

1 (0.4%)

Additional Medication

12 (5%)

Substitution9 (4%)

Route0 (0%)

Frequency24 (10%)

Other0 (0%)

Medication Discrepancies 1: Typology

In 180 patients, i.e, 1.4 potentially serious errors

per pateint!

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Interventions to Improve Patient SafetyDuring Transitions in Care

• Medication Reconciliation• Patient/caregiver education and counseling• Post-discharge follow-up

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Interventions to Improve Patient SafetyDuring Transitions in Care

• Medication Reconciliation• Patient/caregiver education and counseling• Post-discharge follow-up

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Medication Reconciliation

• “A process of identifying the most accurate list of all medications a patient is taking… and using this list to provide correct medications for patients anywhere within the health system.”

Institute for Healthcare Improvement

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Components of Inpatient Medication Reconciliation

• Taking and documenting an accurate preadmission medication history

• Using that history to order medications in the hospital

• Using preadmission and current inpatient medications to produce discharge medication orders

• Documenting and communicating discharge medication regimen to patient/caregiver and next provider(s) of care

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Components of Inpatient Medication Reconciliation

• Taking and documenting an accurate preadmission medication history

• Using that history to order medications in the hospital

• Using preadmission and current inpatient medications to produce discharge medication orders

• Documenting and communicating discharge medication regimen to patient/caregiver and next provider(s) of care

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Taking a “Best Possible Medication History”

• Single most important step to improving medication safety during transitions in care

• Also often the most difficult– Patients and caregivers may not know what medications

they take

– Sources of information are inaccurate and out of date

– No one person takes responsibility for maintaining an accurate list

– Fragmented healthcare system

– Information sources and providers don’t talk to each other

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• Goal: obtain complete information on the patient’s preadmission medication regimen including– Name of each medication– Formulation (e.g., extended release)– Dosage– Route– Frequency

• What they are supposed to be on, what they actually take

• Other important information, including– Allergies and associated reactions– Name, specialty, contact info of prescribers– Name and phone number (or town) or pharmacy(ies)

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• Try to use at least two sources of information when possible and explore discrepancies between them– Patient (via interview)

– Patient-owned medication lists

– Family members and other caregivers

– Pill bottles

– Pharmacy(ies) where patient fills prescriptions

– Medication lists and/or notes from outpatient providers

– Discharge medication orders from recent hospitalizations

– Transfer orders from other facilities

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• If starting point is a medication list, review and verify each medication with the patient– Assume all lists are inaccurate

– Start by having patient tell you what they are taking (i.e., don’t lead the witness)

• More likely to learn about discrepancies with the list you have

• Assesses their medication understanding

– Use list to explore discrepancies, confirm missing information

– Then probe further using list of questions for patients where you are starting from scratch (below)

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• If starting from scratch, consider the following prompts– What medications do you take at home?

• Elicit dose and time(s) of day patient takes it, plus formulation and/or route as appropriate

– What medications do you take every day, regardless of how you feel?

– Which medications do you take only sometimes?• What symptoms prompt you to take them?• How many doses per week do you take?• What’s the most often you are allowed to take it?• Do you often take something for headaches, allergies, to fall

asleep, when you get a cold, for heartburn?

– Fill in gaps (dose, frequency, formulation, route)

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• If starting from scratch, consider the following prompts– What is that medicine for? Do you take anything else for

that?

– What medications do you take for your…?

– Does your … doctor prescribe any medications for you?

– Do you take any inhalers, nasal sprays, skin creams, eye drops, ear drops, patches, injections, or suppositories?

– Do you take any medications in the evening or at night?

– Do you take any medications once a week or once a month

– What medications do you take that don’t require a Rx?

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• Ask about adherence– When did you take the last dose of that medication?

– Tell me about any problems that you’ve had taking these medications as prescribed?

– Many patients have difficulty taking their medications exactly as they should every day. In the last week, how many days have your missed a dose of your …

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• Time-saving tips:– Start with easily accessible sources

• Outpatient medication list• Recent hospital discharge orders

– If patients use a list or have pill bottles, seem reliable, and data are not dissimilar from the other sources (or the differences can be explained), you can be done

– If patients are not sure, or are relying on memory only, or cannot “clean up” the discrepancies among lists, then go further

• Community pharmacy data

– If still not clear, contact outpatient providers and/or have family bring in pill bottles from home

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Conclusions

• Medication errors are common during transitions in care such as hospitalization and discharge

• The biggest cause of potentially harmful discrepancies are history errors

• Taking a good medication history takes time but is worth it

• Use at least 2 sources of information if possible• Get help when the history is not clear

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Thanks!

Documents

1 Taking a “Best Possible Medication History” One of the most important things you can do to keep patients safe Jeffrey L. Schnipper, MD, MPH, FHM Director