Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;77(1):117-123.
doi: 10.1007/s00228-020-02972-3. Epub 2020 Aug 8.

The clinical and educational outcomes of an inter-professional student-led medication review team, a pilot study

Michael O Reumerman  1   2 , Milan C Richir  3   4 , Philippe M Domela Nieuwenhuis  3   4 , Rowan Sultan  3   4 , Hester E M Daelmans  5 , Hans Springer  6 , Majon Muller  7 , Michiel A van Agtmael  3   4 , Jelle Tichelaar  3   4
Affiliations

The clinical and educational outcomes of an inter-professional student-led medication review team, a pilot study

Michael O Reumerman et al. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Aims: The involvement of an inter-professional healthcare student team in the review of medications used by geriatric patients could not only provide patients with optimized therapy but also provide students with a valuable inter-professional learning experience. We describe and evaluate the clinical and learning outcomes of an inter-professional student-run mediation review program (ISP).

Subject and method: A variable team consisting of students in medicine, pharmacy, master advanced nursing practice, and master physician assistant reviewed the medication lists of patients attending a specialized geriatric outpatient clinic.

Results: During 32 outpatient visits, 188 medications were reviewed. The students identified 14 medication-related problems, of which 4 were not recognized by healthcare professionals. The ISP team advised 95 medication changes, of which 68 (71.6%) were directly implemented. Students evaluated this pilot program positively and considered it educational (median score 4 out of 5) and thought it would contribute to their future inter-professional relationships.

Conclusion: An inter-professional team of healthcare students is an innovative healthcare improvement for (academic) hospitals to increase medication safety. Most formulated advices were directly incorporated in daily practice and could prevent future medication-related harm. The ISP also offers students a first opportunity to work in an inter-professional manner and get insight into the perspectives and qualities of their future colleagues.

Keywords: Clinical pharmacology; Elderly care; Inter-professional; Internal medicine; Medical education; Medication review; Pharmacotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Inter-professional student-run mediation review program (ISP) procedure consisting of 5 steps. Step 1: Taking a medication history (30 min) and requesting the medication lists from patients’ pharmacists. Step 2: Performing a structured medication review using the Prescribing Optimisation Method (POM) and STOPP/START criteria. Step 3: Having a short meeting with a clinical pharmacologist. Step 4: Discussing medication advice at a multidisciplinary meeting and updating the electronic patient system. Step 5: Explaining the medication changes to patients at a follow-up appointment
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Medication advice after a full medication review categorized by type of advice. Black: ISP team advice, approved in multidisciplinary meeting and implemented. Dark grey: ISP team advice approved in multidisciplinary meeting but not implemented. Light grey: ISP team advice given but not approved in multidisciplinary meeting and not implemented. Monitor advice: e.g., monitor blood pressure. Instructions for use: e.g., do not chew on drug x
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rankin A, Cadogan CA, Patterson SM, et al. Interventions to improve the appropriate use of polypharmacy for older people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;9(9):CD008165. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008165.pub4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. van der Gaag S, Janssen MJA, Wessemius H, Siegert CEH, Karapinar-Çarkit F. An evaluation of medication reconciliation at an outpatient internal medicines clinic. Eur J Intern Med. 2017;44:e32–e34. doi: 10.1016/j.ejim.2017.07.015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brinkman DJ, Tichelaar J, Mokkink LB, Christiaens T, Likic R, Maciulaitis R, Costa J, Sanz EJ, Maxwell SR, Richir MC, van Agtmael MA, the Education Working Group of the European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (EACPT) and its affiliated Network of Teachers in Pharmacotherapy (NOTIP) Key learning outcomes for clinical pharmacology and therapeutics education in Europe: a modified Delphi study. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2018;104(2):317–325. doi: 10.1002/cpt.962. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Keijsers CJ, van Hensbergen L, Jacobs L, Brouwers JR, de Wildt DJ, ten Cate OT, et al. Geriatric pharmacology and pharmacotherapy education for health professionals and students: a systematic review. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2012;74(5):762–773. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04268.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reeves S, Perrier L, Goldman J, Freeth D, Zwarenstein M. Interprofessional education: effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes (update) Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;3:CD002213. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources