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Effect of an electronic medication reconciliation application and process redesign on potential adverse drug events: a cluster-randomized trial.
Schnipper JL, Hamann C, Ndumele CD, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169:771-780.
 

Attempts to reduce medication discrepancies in hospitalized patients have been hampered by a lack of proven medication reconciliation strategies. In this cluster-randomized trial, a previously described electronic medication list that required input from nurses, physicians, and pharmacists was implemented at two academic hospitals. The tool resulted in a significant reduction in potential adverse drug events at discharge. However, potential drug errors still occurred at a rate of one per patient even after implementation. The intervention was more successful at preventing medication discrepancies among high-risk patients. This study is one of the first randomized trials of a medication reconciliation intervention, and points the way toward identifying medication reconciliation tools that are widely applicable.

 
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Resource Type:  Journal Article > Study

Setting of Care:  Hospitals > General Hospitals

Target Audience:  Health Care Providers

   Health Care Executives and Administrators

   Non-Health Care Professionals > Information Professionals

Safety Target:  Discontinuities, Gaps, and Hand-Off Problems

   Medication Safety > Medication Errors/Preventable Adverse Drug Events

Error Types:  Epidemiology of Errors and Adverse Events

Approach to Improving Safety:  Technologic Approaches > Clinical Information Systems

   Communication Improvement > Communication between Providers > Medication Reconciliation

Origin/Sponsor:  North America > United States of America
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