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Document Type

DNP - University Access Only

Award Date

2015

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Graduate Nursing

First Advisor

Nicole Gibson

Keywords

medication reconciliation, medication discrepancies, patient safety

Abstract

Medication safety is a critical element in providing safe, high quality, and effective healthcare. Medication discrepancies contribute to medication errors causing concern for patient safety. Effective medication reconciliation can reduce and help prevent medication discrepancies. In line with national recommendations, the purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a standardized medication reconciliation process comprised of evidence-based strategies in decreasing medication discrepancies. A rural Midwestern community health center incorporated the evidence-based medication reconciliation process into established patient visits. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected via an electronic health record (EHR) chart review and participant telephone interviews. Data analysis revealed a decrease in the number of medication lists with discrepancies from 73% to 57%. The median number of medication discrepancies per participant decreased from three (mean=3.6) to one (mean=2.4). Additionally, increased age, number of medications, number of comorbidities, and female gender were significantly associated with an increased number of medication discrepancies. The project results confirm clinical significance with the documented reduction in medication discrepancies and identification of at-risk patients. Future recommendations should focus on improving patient safety via medication reconciliation. Effective medication reconciliation requires staff participation, patient engagement, and ongoing operational support to improve medication and patient safety. The knowledge gained from this project can be utilized in the future to improve healthcare team communication, enhance patient safety, and elevate the provision of high quality care in the outpatient setting.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Medication errors -- Prevention
Drugs -- Administration
South Dakota State University Research Project

Description

Includes bibliographical references (page 67-74)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

105

Publisher

South Dakota State University

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

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