Medication Reconciliation in the Pediatric Emergency Room.
This trial reviewed over 2.7 million visits over a five year period and showed an improvement in documentation of medication reconciliation, satisfying the goal of patient safety. The researchers defined patient safety as a means to reduce adverse drug events (ADE) and eliminate preventable harm. This trial used performance of MedRec measured over time from 2005 to 2010 to show that documentation improved consistently from a nadir of 0% in 2005 to 71% in 2010.5
Some research has also been completed on quantifying discrepancies in admission medication history and reconciliation process at a pediatric institution.
This prospective study identified a total of 309 discrepancies in 100 charts by pharmacists providing a potential to prevent significant ADEs. Similarly, a larger scale review explored the occurrence of medication errors in multiple studies in pediatrics. Many studies consistently identified high rates of discrepancies ranging from 22 to 72.3% that occurred at all transitions of care.
Few studies exist on the medication reconciliation in pediatric emergency departments. Guidelines establishing a standardized approach and model for medication reconciliation in the pediatric emergency department are necessary. Its purpose is to avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplications, dosing errors, or drug interactions. In a pediatric emergency department setting, medication reconciliation is often challenging, owing to potential medication errors and discrepancies during handoffs at admission, transfer, and discharge of patients. This prospective study identified a total of 309 discrepancies in 100 charts by pharmacists providing a potential to prevent significant ADEs. Similarly, a larger scale review explored the occurrence
of medication errors in multiple studies in pediatrics.
Pediatr Neonatal Nurs Open J. 2015; 2(1): e5-e6. doi: 10.17140/PNNOJ-2-e003
