Interventions in seamless care.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate whether good collaboration between community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists prevents medication errors. These errors might occur when a patient is discharged from hospital. Both disciplines can complement each other in medication management for the patient.


METHODS
The documented interventions of eight teams consisting of a community pharmacist and a hospital pharmacist, were collected and interpreted with a focus on structural problems and also on positive and negative items, that could influence the intensive collaboration between both disciplines.


RESULTS
The registered interventions can be grouped into five categories. Most interventions were registered in the category where the major problem is a lack of communication with the patient. Due to collaboration between the hospital and community pharmacist, all identified problems were resolved properly.


CONCLUSIONS
When communication between community and hospital pharmacists is optimised, patients will face fewer problems with their medication when they are discharged from hospital.
Booij
Anneke D
AD
Quality Institute for Pharmaceutical Care, Kampen, The Netherlands.
de Boer
Willem O
WO
Kokenberg
Mirjam E A P
ME
Tromp
Th F J
TF
D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital