Survey of Implementation Levels and Pharmacy Requirements for the Continuum of Quality Use of Medicines between Hospital and Community

Abstract

Aim:

A review of the medication pathway in rural Queensland, Australia

“…The transfer of medication information to relevant healthcare providers is crucial to ensure optimal ongoing care and therapy for the patient [2] . Research suggests that medication errors in this step are common, as changes to patients' medication regimens are often not communicated effectively between the hospital, specialist, GP, pharmacist, other healthcare provider(s), carer(s) and patients themselves [1,8,18,19,30,42,52,55,56] . One such case highlighted the confusion of a rural patient about his medications, which resulted from ineffective information transfer and the inability for his various healthcare providers to provide comprehensive care [55] .…”

“…Information transfer is crucial during each transition in a patient's care. A role has been proposed for pharmacists to act as a liaison between healthcare providers to facilitate medication reconciliation and information transfer between healthcare providers; [19,21,52,56] more research should be undertaken to explore this role to develop an appropriate framework to be implemented in rural areas.…”

“…Some studies have explored information transfer and medication reconciliation processes (on admission and on discharge) between hospitals and the primary care setting [18,19,42,56] . Prior to the PBS Public Hospital Pharmaceutical Reforms, 3–7 days' worth of discharge medications were supplied by Queensland public hospitals.…”

“…Public Hospital Pharmaceutical Reforms adopted by some states (including Queensland) aim to improve the continuity between hospital and community sectors in relation to cognitive medication services and discharge medication supply, as outlined in the APAC guidelines [8,42,56] . Under this arrangement, public hospitals are able to dispense 1 month's worth of discharge medications under the PBS, extending the time for a patient to access a GP for repeat prescriptions.…”

“…GPs, community pharmacists) to enhance the process of medication reconciliation and to facilitate exchange of medication information between health practitioners [57] . Medical doctors, nursing staff and pharmacists are often involved in facilitating information transfer; however, the implementation of medication reconciliation processes and the processing of DMRs are traditionally undertaken by pharmacists [18,19,56] . There is a lack of research exploring such processes in rural areas, particularly in areas without pharmacy services.…”