Development of a Discharge Counseling and Medication Reconciliation Process for Pediatric Patients Within a Large, Academic Health System

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to characterize the impact of a pharmacist-driven discharge medication reconciliation and counseling program targeting high-risk pediatric patients to mitigate barriers in transitions of care.

Methods: This was a single-center quality improvement initiative including high-risk pediatric patients within a large academic medical center. Pharmacy, medical, and information technology team members developed a scoring system to identify patients at high risk of hospital readmission that resulted in a trigger tool built within the electronic medical record (EMR). Pharmacy workflow, the EMR documentation, and staff training were implemented. The primary end point was the number of high-risk patients with complete medication reconciliation and/or discharge counseling performed during the first 2 months after implementation. The secondary end points included quantification and qualification of the interventions conducted by a pharmacist.

Results: Pediatric clinical pharmacists conducted discharge medication reconciliation and/or counseling for 60 patients during the first 2 months after implementation. There were 65 interventions performed, including 60 discharge medication reconciliations and 5 discharge counseling sessions. Of these interventions, 22 were recommendations on appropriate medication dosing and frequency (37%), 12 on duration of therapy (20%), and 8 were medication additions (13%). There were 6 interventions on adherence assistance (10%), 6 involved selection of medication formulation (10%), 3 involved medication discontinuation (5%), 2 involved appropriate therapy selection (3%), and 1 involved medication stability (1%). All interventions were accepted and implemented by the prescribing providers.

Conclusions: Pharmacist-driven discharge medication reconciliation and counseling programs targeting pediatric high-risk population might be an effective tool to mitigate gaps in transitions of care.

Keywords: discharge medication counseling; medication reconciliation; pediatrics; pharmacists.