Satisfaction With Medication Reconciliation Completed by Pharmacy Technicians in an Emergency Department

Abstract

Purpose: To survey advanced nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, physicians, and resident physicians involved with collecting and reconciling medication histories in the emergency department (ED) to measure their satisfaction with the current process involving pharmacy technicians.

Methods: Two sites within a large health system with pharmacy technician-driven medication reconciliation processes asked health care professionals to complete a survey of 20 multiple-choice questions. The data collected determined resources used and barriers faced when collecting medication histories, satisfaction before and after the involvement of pharmacy technicians in the ED, and the impact technology may have on this process in the future.

Results: Of 144 health care providers surveyed, 69.4% reported collecting medication histories through patient interviews. The most common barrier reported was the lack of time (44%) to spend on this step. After implementing the pharmacy technician-driven program, satisfaction with health care providers' required time improved from 18.8% to 68.9%. Similarly, satisfaction with the accuracy of medication histories improved from 40.3% to 75.4%. When asked about the use of technology if available, 65.2% of respondents reported they would almost always use technology. However, 61.6% of respondents preferred investing health care resources in adding more pharmacy technicians in the ED rather than adding technology.

Conclusion: Pharmacy technicians have positively impacted the medication reconciliation process at the sites surveyed. Health care professionals report greater satisfaction with their time demands and perceived accuracy of medication histories, giving them more time to focus on other patient care tasks. Those surveyed reported interest in using technology to collect medication histories if it was available, but they would prefer more pharmacy technicians to assist with the process.

Keywords: emergency department; medication history; medication reconciliation; pharmacy technician.