This study reviewed the impact of hospital pharmacy services on reducing medication errors in emergency and acute care settings. Researchers analysed 17 studies, including data from 7,630 patients, to see how pharmacy-led medication reconciliation affected patient safety. They found that involving pharmacy teams in these settings led to fewer incorrect prescriptions and reduced patient harm. However, the studies varied in their methods and showed some bias. Despite these issues, the results consistently indicated that pharmacy services in emergency and acute care departments help decrease medication errors. More research is needed to understand the overall health and economic benefits of having pharmacy services available in these settings, especially during out-of-hours times.

Abstract

Pharmacy services within hospitals are changing, with more taking on medication reconciliation activities. This systematic review was conducted to determine the measured impacts of Pharmacy teams working in an acute or emergency medicine department. The protocol followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was prospectively registered on PROSPERO, National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK registration number: CRD42020187487. The systematic review had two co-primary aims: a reduction in the number of incorrect prescriptions on admission by comparing the medication list from primary care to secondary care, and a reduction in the severity of harm caused by these incorrect prescriptions; chosen to determine the impact of pharmacy-led medication reconciliation services in the emergency and acute medicine setting. Seventeen articles were included. Fifteen were non-randomized controlled trials and two were randomized controlled trials. The number of patients combined for all studies was 7630. No studies included were based within the UK. All studies showed benefits in terms of a reduction in medicine errors and patient harm, compared to control arms. Nine articles were included in a statistical analysis comparing the pharmacy intervention arm with the non-pharmacy control arm, with a Chi² of 101.10 and I² value = 92%. However, studies were heterogenous with different outcome measures and many showed evidence of bias. The included studies consistently indicated that pharmacy services based within acute or emergency medicine departments in hospitals were associated with fewer medication errors. Further studies are needed to understand the health and economic impact of deploying a pharmacy service in acute medical settings including out-of-hours working.

Authors: Ekta Punj , Abbie Collins , Nirlep Agravedi , John Marriott , Elizabeth Sapey