SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Tech-Ing It Right, Implementing Pharmacy Technicians to Improve Medication Reconciliation Accuracy

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This quality improvement project at Lakeland Regional Health evaluated whether trained pharmacy technicians could improve the accuracy of admission medication reconciliation. Medication history errors are a major patient safety issue, often leading to missed therapies, duplicate medications, incorrect dosing, adverse drug events, and readmissions. Baseline audits showed very poor accuracy when medication histories were collected by nurses or clinicians, highlighting the need for a more structured approach.<br /><br />The study ran from September 2019 to September 2024 at a single tertiary care center. Before the intervention, admission medication histories were obtained by nurses and providers, with an accuracy rate of only 15% and about 5 discrepancies per patient. In March 2021, the hospital launched a pharmacy technician-led program. It expanded from 3 to 7 dedicated technicians, who provided coverage daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. for patients aged 55 and older. Technicians received structured training, and transitions-of-care pharmacists audited 10% of cases each month to monitor quality.<br /><br />The results showed a dramatic improvement after implementation. Average accuracy increased to 92%, more than a sixfold improvement, while discrepancies fell to about 1 per patient. The main discrepancy types included missing medications, duplicate or no-longer-taken medications, and incorrect doses or directions.<br /><br />Overall, the project concluded that trained pharmacy technicians significantly improve medication reconciliation accuracy and reduce errors during transitions of care. Future goals include expanding the program to discharge reconciliation, integrating outpatient pharmacy records, and validating the findings across multiple institutions.

Asset Subtitle

Anas Bizanti

Meta Tag

Author List Anas Bizanti, Andrew Lurie, Jennifer Trube, Luis Daniel Lugo Rosado, Zoya Khan

Category Innovations

Concept Pharmacy Technician

Concept Medication History

Concept Medication Reconciliation

Concept Patient Safety

Concept Medication Discrepancy

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Lakeland Regional Hospital

Presenting Author Anas Bizanti

Track Transitions of Care

Keywords

pharmacy technician

medication reconciliation

admission medication history

patient safety

quality improvement

medication discrepancies

transitions of care

hospital program

training

accuracy improvement

Pharmacy Technician

Medication History

Medication Reconciliation

Patient Safety

Medication Discrepancy