Pharmacy students can help with medication reconciliation processes

A Lebanese prospective study  has evaluated the effects of a model whereby student pharmacists (trained and closely supervised), collected medication histories, followed by a process where qualified pharmacists performed the reconciliation process. Any interventions related to the unintended discrepancies were relayed to the medical team. 204 patients were included, and 195 unintended discrepancies were identified: the most frequently encountered discrepancies were medication omission (71.8%), and the most common agents involved were dietary supplements (27.7%). Around 36% of the unintended discrepancies were thought to be clinically significant, and 1% were adjudged to be serious. Those taking a greater number of medications at home were significantly more likely to be involved in a error-potential situation (adjusted OR = 1.11 (1.03–1.19) p = 0.007). The model offers some potential for involving pharmacy students in the medication reconciliation process, which may confer cost benefits and the potential to expand services without the need to recruit additional pharmacy staff. More details of the study, recently published in BMC Health Services Research, can be viewed here.