ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Long-term care (LTC) homes expressed concern that patients had experienced medication incidents after hospital discharge as a result of poor coordination of care. OBJECTIVE: The London Transfer Project aimed to reduce LTC medication incidents by 50% within 48 hours of discharge from general medicine units at the London Health Sciences Centre. DESIGN: This quality improvement study involved 2 hospitals and 5 LTC homes in London, Ontario, Canada. The baseline prevalence of medication incidents was measured and explored for root causes. Two change ideas were tested on general medicine units to improve transfer communication: (1) expediting medication reconciliation and (2) faxing medication plans before discharge. MEASURES: Evaluation involved time-series measurement and a comparison of baseline and intervention periods. The primary outcome was medication incidents by omission or commission within 48 hours of discharge, which was determined by dual chart reviews in hospital and LTC homes. Process measures included medication reconciliation and fax completion times. Hospital discharge times were included as a balance measure of the new communication process. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy-seven LTC transfers were reviewed between 2016 and 2017; 92 transfers were reviewed for medication incidents in participating homes at baseline (January-April 2016) and implementation (January-April 2017). Medication incidents decreased significantly by 56%, from 44% (22/50) at baseline to 19% (8/42) during implementation (P = .006). Medication reconciliation completion by noon increased from 56% (28/50) to 74% (31/42) but not significantly (P = .076). Faxes sent before discharge increased significantly from 4% (2/50) to 67% (28/42, P = .015). There was no significant change in hospital discharge time. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Medication incidents can be significantly reduced during care transitions by taking a systems perspective to explore quality gaps and redesign communication processes. This solution will be scaled to other inpatient services with a high proportion of LTC residents.
Subject(s)
Medication Errors/prevention & control , Medication Reconciliation/standards , Patient Discharge/standards , Hospitalization , Humans , Long-Term Care , Models, Organizational , Ontario , Patient Safety , Quality ImprovementABSTRACT
About one-quarter of all long-term care (LTC) residents are transferred to an emergency department (ED) every 6 months in Ontario, Canada. When residents are unable to describe their health issues, ED staff rely on LTC transfer reports to make informed decisions. However, transfer information gaps are common, and may contribute to unnecessary tests, unwanted treatments and longer ED length of stay. London Health Sciences Centre, an academic hospital system in London, Ontario, partnered with 10 LTC homes to improve emergency reporting of their residents' reason for transfer and baseline cognition. After conducting a root cause analysis, 7 of 10 homes implemented a standard minimum set of currently available transfer forms, including a computer-generated summary of resident's most recent interRAI functional assessment. Results were analysed using statistical process control charts and data were posted on a public website (LondonTransferProject.com). The documentation rate of 'reason for transfer' improved from 61% to 84%, and 'baseline cognitive status' improved from 4% to 56% across all 10 homes. These results suggest that transfer communication can be improved by codesigning and implementing solutions with ED and LTC staff, which build upon current reporting practices shared across multiple LTC organisations.
