Effect of a Pharmacist Admission Medication Reconciliation Service at a Children's Hospital

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect and estimate cost avoidance attributed to a pharmacist-led admission medication reconciliation service at a children's hospital. METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study that measured pharmacist interventions for pediatric patients over a 90-day period. Pharmacists logged all interventions identified during medication reconciliation in real time. Patient demographic data were collected retrospectively. Cost avoidance from prevented adverse drug events (ADEs) was estimated based on previously published literature. RESULTS: Pharmacists completed 283 admission medication reconciliations during the study period. Of those, 69% of medication reconciliations required intervention. Interventions affected care during the hospital admission in 21.9% of patients and 8 medication reconciliations resulted in prevention of a major ADE. This pharmacist-led service resulted in an estimated cost avoidance of $46,746.65 in the 3-month period. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a pharmacist-led admission medication reconciliation service for pediatric patients improved medication safety and resulted in significant cost avoidance, which justifies investment in these pharmacist resources.