Evaluation of a new integrated discharge prescription form

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a new discharge prescription form which int egrates admission medications, in-hospital changes, discharge medications c ould enhance the accuracy of information in patient profiles in community p harmacies after hospital discharge. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, prospective, multi-site study. SETTINGS: Internal medicine wards of the three teaching hospitals (1200 bed s) of the Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal. SUBJECTS: Patients admitted to the internal medicine wards between January 4 and 31, 1999, at St.-Luc and Notre-Dame Hospitals formed the control grou p and received a usual discharge form (LID), Those admitted between Februar y 1 and 28, 1999, received the new discharge prescription form (DPF) captur ing the list of admission medications and revisions during hospitalization; they served as the experimental group. METHODS: Patient profiles were reviewed to calculate conformity rates of co mmunity pharmacy patient profiles after discharge and the rate of overall c onformity for each group in the study. Each drug in the patient profile was assessed according to six criteria. Healthcare providers' satisfaction wit h the DPF was assessed via a written questionnaire. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients and 669 discharge medications were studied. T he patient profiles had a higher conformity rate in the DPF group than in t he UD group (82% vs. 40%; p < 0.001); improvement could be attributed to hi gher conformity rates, particularly for two criteria (medications stopped i n hospital and dose changes in hospital). CONCLUSIONS: Integration of admission medications, in-hospital changes, and discharge medications on a single form increases the conformity rates of c ommunity pharmacy patient profiles after hospitalization. This tool is well accepted by both pharmacists and physicians and may lead to a major decrea se in drug-related problems.