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National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)

HSRProj (Health Services Research Projects in Progress)

Information about ongoing health services research and public health projects


Improving patient safety through medication reconciliation: enhancing communication among hospitals, ambulatory care settings and community pharmacies
(Archived Project)
Investigator (PI): Lambert, Bruce L; Schiff, Gordon
Performing Organization (PO): (Current): University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Administration / (312) 996-7000
Supporting Agency (SA): Michael Reese Health Trust
Initial Year: 2005
Final Year: 2006
Award Type: Grant
Abstract: This project's overall goal is to reduce medication errors caused by poor communication during care transitions by using medication reconciliation. Medication reconciliation is "a process of identifying the most accurate list of medications a patient is taking -- including name, dosage, frequency, and route -- and using this list to provide correct medications for patients anywhere within the health care system". The project has the following five goals: 1) to bring together a planning group of consumers, community pharmacies and pharmacists, office-based clinicians and hospital-based clinicians to identify the highest priority challenges and opportunities with regard to medication reconciliation; 2) to enroll at least one solo practitioner, one primary care group practice, one hospital and one community pharmacy in a medication reconciliation demonstration project; 3) to implement locally-defined, boundary-spanning best practices for reconciliation among these participants; 4) to evaluate the success of the pilot effort; and 5) seek funding for a larger scale demonstration of the successful practices.
MeSH Terms:
  • * Ambulatory Care Facilities
  • Community-Institutional Relations
  • * Hospitals
  • Humans
  • Medical Errors /*prevention & control
  • Patient Care Team
  • * Pharmacies
  • Primary Health Care
  • Program Development
  • Program Evaluation
  • Safety
  • United States
Keywords:
  • research support, non-U.S. Gov't
Country: United States
State: Illinois
Zip Code: 60612
UI: 20061085
Project Status: Archived