Experience and practices of doctors towards pharmacist medication reconciliation service in medical wards: a multicentre study in Perak state Malaysia

TL;DR

This study explores how doctors in Malaysia use and view pharmacist-led medication reconciliation services in hospitals.

Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on doctors' experiences and practices with pharmacist-led medication reconciliation in Perak state hospitals.

Findings

Most doctors agreed pharmacists play an integral role in medication reconciliation.

Doctors frequently relied on pharmacists for medication history assessments during patient admission and discharge.

Higher practice scores were observed among medical officers and those working in larger wards.

Abstract

Medication reconciliation is a key responsibility of ward pharmacists, who work closely with doctors. However, little is known about doctors’ practices in the administration of this service.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with doctors from the medical wards of 14 Perak government hospitals. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to assess doctors’ demographics, experiences with pharmacist-led medication reconciliation services (13 items) and practices in administering medication reconciliation-related information (8 items). Responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale.

This study explored doctors’ experiences with and utilisation of medication reconciliation services provided by pharmacists in medical wards. The independent t-test and Kruskal–Wallis test were performed to evaluate the associations between the doctor's sociodemographic backgrounds with their experiences and practices towards pharmacist-led medication reconciliation services.

A total of 209 doctors responded, with more than half of them being female (60.8%) and medical officers (76.6%). Most respondents agreed that ward pharmacists play an integral role (97.6%), perform quality reconciliation (97.2%), and reduce medication errors (97.1%) during medication reconciliation. The majority frequently expected the pharmacists to provide medication history assessments (90.0%), relied on their medication history assessments during prescribing at admission (88.6%) and discharge (89.0%), and collaborated on reconciliation issues (91.8%). Higher practice scores were observed among medical officers (3.89 ± 0.63, p = 0.01) and those aged >30 years (3.9 ± 0.46, p = 0.04), and those working in wards with ≥30 beds (3.94 ± 0.48, p = 0.02).

Doctors demonstrated positive experiences and practices regarding pharmacist-led medication reconciliation services provided by ward pharmacists. These findings suggest that doctors acknowledge the role of pharmacists in medication reconciliation services.