Comparison of a Pharmacist-Performed and Physician or Advanced Practice Provider–Performed Medication History in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Background: In the adult population, a high rate of discrepancies exists between provider-performed and pharmacist-performed medication histories. Limited data exist regarding pharmacist-performed medication histories in hospitalized pediatric patients. Objective: Identify the incidence and severity of discrepancies in medication histories performed by practitioners compared with pharmacists in the pediatric population. Methods: After institutional review board approval, a retrospective analysis of pediatric patients admitted to inpatient pediatric units in a tertiary hospital was performed. The primary endpoint of the study was the percentage of provider-performed medication histories with any discrepancies compared with the pharmacist-performed medication history. Secondary endpoints included the number and type of discrepancies and the discrepancy’s potential risk of patient harm. Results: A total of 101 subjects were included. Nineteen patients (18.8%) had at least one medication discrepancy. Missing medications accounted for the majority of the discrepancies. Advance practice providers performed a small number of the initial medication histories (5%) and had at least one discrepancy for each history performed. The percentages of Grades 1, 2, and 3 discrepancies were 57.2%, 17.1%, and 25.7%, respectively. Medications with the most frequent discrepancies included anticonvulsants, antihistamines, and histamine receptor antagonists. Limitations include the retrospective nature of the study and lower than expected discrepancy rate. Conclusion: In this study, 18.8% of pediatric patients had a discrepancy between medication histories. Missing medications accounted for the largest amount of discrepancies. A large percentage of discrepancies had the potential to cause patient harm.