MedManage: The development of a tool to assist medication reconciliation in a rural primary care clinic

Abstract

Background: Medication reconciliation is a critical step in the health care process to prevent hospital readmission, adverse drug events, and fall prevention. The purpose of the study was to pilot test a medication reconciliation process, MedManage, informed by the Medications at Transitions and Clinical Handoffs (MATCH) toolkit with nursing staff in a rural primary care clinic.

Methods: The research team conducted 38 chart audits of high-risk patients, and preintervention and postintervention were conducted to assess changes in medications reported by patients. The intervention included a chart audit tool and medication reconciliation tool created by the interdisciplinary team, MedManage, were pilot tested in the clinic.

Conclusions: The Use of MedManage resulted in improvements in patient reporting of over-the-counter (82% of patients reported previously unrecorded OTCs), PRN medications (3% unreported), and herbal supplements/vitamins (28% reported previously unrecorded vitamins).

Implications for practice: MedManage may be an effective tool to assist clinical nursing staff to attain a more complete and accurate medication list from patients and should be assessed more broadly across rural primary care clinics.

Figure 1

Chart audit tool.

Figure 2

MedManage patient worksheet.