Implementation of a closed-loop medication reconciliation process for ambulatory oncology patients at Winchester District Memorial Hospital

Abstract

Medication Reconciliation (MedRec) is a proven method of optimizing pharmacotherapy and decreasing incidence of Adverse Drug Events (ADEs); however, consistent and correct execution is often a challenge in the setting of outpatient oncology. Ambulatory chemotherapy patients are particularly susceptible to polypharmacy and ADEs and their medication management is often complicated due to gaps in communication between an increased volume of non-co-located, multidisciplinary, healthcare providers. Acknowledging these challenges, Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) led an initiative to create an ambulatory chemotherapy MedRec process using behavioural change approaches. Prior to the intervention, ambulatory chemotherapy MedRec at WDMH was conducted informally via an “open-loop” process. Through an iterative quality improvement process which involved understanding and communicating failure points in the transmission of patients’ medication information directly with the frontline medical staff, a practical and sustainable “closed-loop” system evolved, which improved rates to 97.8% overall completion post-intervention.