Use of an Anti-Infective Medication Review Process at Hospital Discharge to Identify Medication Errors and Optimize Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Medication reconciliation is a major patient safety concern, and the impact of a structured process to evaluate anti-infective agents at hospital discharge warrants further review.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to (1) describe a structured, multidisciplinary approach to review anti-infectives at discharge and (2) measure the impact of a stewardship-initiated antimicrobial review process in identifying and preventing anti-infective-related medication errors (MEs) at discharge.

METHODS: A prospective study to evaluate adult patients discharged on anti-infectives was conducted from October 2013 to May 2014. The antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) classified interventions on anti-infective regimens into predefined ME categories.

RESULTS: Forty-five patients who were discharged on 59 anti-infective prescriptions were included in the study. The most common indications for anti-infective regimens at discharge were pneumonia (22%, n = 10), bacteremia (18%, n = 8), and skin and soft tissue infections (16%, n = 7). An ME was identified in 42% (n = 19/45) of anti-infective regimens. Seventy percentage of ASP team recommendations were accepted which resulted in an avoidance of MEs in 68% (n = 13/19) of patients with an ME prior to discharge.

CONCLUSION: This study describes the outcomes of a stewardship-initiated review process in preventing MEs at discharge. Developing a systematic process for a multidisciplinary ASP team to review all anti-infectives can be a valuable tool in preventing MEs at hospital discharge.