# Current Practices of Medication Plans in Austrian Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography: An In-Depth Analysis

## TL;DR

This study examines medication documentation practices in Austrian patients undergoing coronary angiography, finding significant gaps in standardization and accuracy.

## Contribution

The study provides the first in-depth analysis of medication documentation practices in Austria, highlighting issues with standardization and accuracy.

## Key findings

- Only 55.1% of patients had any medication documentation, with 64.4% of MPlans not matching current medication.
- Over-the-counter medications were missing in 94.5% of MDocs, and crucial information was often absent.
- Only 10.7% of patients had an MPlan that accurately reflected their current medication.

## Abstract

A complete medication plan (MPlan) increases medication safety and adherence and is crucial in care transitions. Countries that implemented a standardized MPlan reported benefits on patients’ understanding and handling of their medication. Austria lacks such a standardization, with no available data on the issue. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the current state of all medication documentations (MDocs) at hospital admission in a population at high risk for polypharmacy in Austria. Methods: We enrolled 512 consecutive patients undergoing elective coronary angiography. Their MDocs and medications were recorded at admission. MDocs were categorized, whereby a MPlan was defined as a tabular list including medication name, dose, route, frequency and patient name. Results: Out of 485 patients, 55.1% had an MDoc (median number of drugs: 6, range 2–17), of whom 24.7% had unstructured documentation, 18.0% physicians’ letters and 54.3% MPlans. Polypharmacy patients did not have a MDoc in 31.3%. Crucial information as the patients’s name or the originator of the MDoc was missing in 31.1% and 20.4%, respectively. Patients with MDoc provided more comprehensive medication information (p = 0.019), although over-the-counter-medication was missing in 94.5% of MDocs. A discrepancy between the MPlan and current medication at admission existed in 64.4%. In total, only 10.7% of our patient cohort presented an MPlan that was in accordance with their current medication. Conclusion: The situation in Austria is far from a standardized MPlan generated in daily routine. Numerous MPlans do not represent the current medication and could pose a potential risk for the effectiveness and safety of pharmacotherapy.