Photo Credit: Antonio_Diaz

A study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology showed that pharmacist-led medication reconciliation substantially reduced the risk for clinically important medication errors at hospital discharge, even as part of routine clinical practice. Maja Jošt, MD, and colleagues conducted a pragmatic, prospective, controlled trial to compare the effects of routine, pharmacist-led medication reconciliation versus standard care. The researchers enrolled 414 patients in an intervention group (n=225) or a control group (n=189). Patients in the intervention group saw a marked decrease in important medication errors at discharge compared to the control group (61.9% vs 9.3%). Multiple logistic regression analysis also showed that medication reconciliation resulted in a 20-fold reduction in the likelihood of medication errors. However, the two groups had no notable differences in overall or serious unplanned healthcare utilization. The study results offer valuable insights into the pharmacist’s role in enhancing medication safety and reducing unplanned healthcare utilization in hospitalized patients.