Discontinuities in drug use upon hospital discharge.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the nature and frequency of changes in drug treatment upon discharge from hospital.


METHODS
All drugs of discharged patients, dispensed by an outpatient pharmacy were compared with the latest clinical medication and discontinuities were classified.


RESULTS
Of all prescriptions dispensed by the outpatient pharmacy, 40% had some discontinuity; most frequent were product substitution (27%) and new prescriptions, starting at the moment of discharge (11%).


CONCLUSIONS
There is a gap in the conformity between drugs used in the hospital and the drugs dispensed by the outpatient pharmacy at the moment of discharge.
Stuffken
Rutger
R
General Hospital Hilversum, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, 1201 DA Hilversum, The Netherlands. rstuffken@zhh.nl
Egberts
Toine C G
TC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data