 | Related Articles |
Prescribing and medication communication on the post-take ward round.
Intern Med J. 2017 Apr;47(4):454-457
Authors: Myers B, Mitchell C, Whitty JA, Donovan P, Coombes I
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 PTWR, 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.
PMID: 28401716 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]