Abstract
Gaps in communication between medical officers and poor planning are associated with prescribing errors and may result in patient harm. This study describes medication communication on Post Take Ward Rounds (PTWR).
Over 6 weeks on 24 PTWRs, 130 patients, prescribed 1244 medications were observed. Of these, 811(65%) medications were discussed, with 249 discussions (relating to 126 medications) being ‘in-depth’. Of 191 planned medication-related actions, 38 (20%) were not implemented by the end of the PTWR and 21 (11%) by time of discharge from hospital.
This study suggests that the level of medication communication and subsequent actions are
suboptimal. Processes to improve this situation should be explored.
Over 6 weeks on 24 PTWRs, 130 patients, prescribed 1244 medications were observed. Of these, 811(65%) medications were discussed, with 249 discussions (relating to 126 medications) being ‘in-depth’. Of 191 planned medication-related actions, 38 (20%) were not implemented by the end of the PTWR and 21 (11%) by time of discharge from hospital.
This study suggests that the level of medication communication and subsequent actions are
suboptimal. Processes to improve this situation should be explored.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 454–457 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Internal Medicine Journal |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Apr 2017 |
Keywords
- Prescribing
- Handover
- Communication
- Hospital
- Ward-Round
- Patient Safety