THE introduction of a discharge medication checklist demonstrated a significant reduction in errors in hospital discharge prescription assembly by nurses, according to a study by three senior pharmacists based at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London.
Publishing in the British Journal of Nursing, the pharmacists observed, over a two-year period, 15 serious medication errors relating to discharge, prompting the research project.
An audit period identifying medication errors was followed by education, training and the introduction of a discharge medication checklist.
There was a statistically significant reduction in the number of errors (28/56 - 50% vs 9/44 - 20.5%; p=0.0478) when re-audited.
Authors recommended rolling out the program across all medical wards - CLICK HERE for the abstract.
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