Evaluation of medication reconciliation in a trauma unit

Medication reconciliation at admission to surgical departments

“…Studies have shown a wide variability in the proportion of REs, which range between 19.1 and 80.0% [4–7] due to differences in the study setting or in the methodology used to record the habitual medication of patients [2]. Our result (55.1% patients with REs) is close to the proportion reported in other studies that included surgical patients [6,11,28,35]. The mean number of REs per patient was 3.21, similar to findings by Martínez López et al .…”

“…The mean age of patients (64.91 ± 18.38 years) was similar to that observed in other studies in surgical patients [26–28]. However, it was lower than in the majority of studies, which have reported a mean age of >75 years.…”

“…In the present study, the risk of an RE was higher with a larger number of drugs being taken before admission, as reported by most other authors [28,29]. Furthermore, the risk was fourfold higher in patients admitted for elective versus emergency surgery, which appears counterintuitive, given that greater errors in recording the usual medication of patients might be expected in emergency department, given the acute condition of patients and intense care pressure.…”

“…As reported in previous studies of this type, drug omission was the most frequent error [15,28,32,35,36]. REs were most frequently observed in drugs related to the cardiovascular system (35.7%), as in most other studies [5,6,32], probably due to their wider chronic administration in elderly patients, who represented the majority of the study population.…”

Detecting Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Trauma Patients using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry: a Novel Approach to Medication Reconciliation

“…Medication omissions, incomplete knowledge of medication usage and incorrect documentation from inaccurate medication reconciliation contribute to adverse drug events and medication errors. (5,6,12) (16) The potential for these risks has led to medication reconciliation being considered as a National Patient Safety Goal by The Joint Commission accrediting all health facilities. (17) A major concern, especially in older trauma patients, is the detection and reversal of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), such as apixaban, rivaroxaban and dabigatran, to combat acute hemorrhage.…”