Patient‐Completed Medication Histories versus those Obtained by a Pharmacist in a Pre‐admission Clinic

Aim To evaluate the accuracy and completeness of patient‐completed medication histories to those obtained by a pharmacist in a pre‐admission surgical clinic. Method This prospective study was conducted over 3‐weeks with patients attending a pre‐admission surgical clinic. Consecutive patients had a pre‐admission assessment with the pre‐admission clinic pharmacist. Comparison was made regarding the accuracy of information between patient‐completed medication history and assessment by the pre‐admission clinic pharmacist. Results 150 patients were enrolled −33 (22%) had a patient‐completed questionnaire that was totally correct. There was an average of 3.9 drug discrepancies per patient‐completed medication history. The discrepancies included: omitted drugs (317), incorrect doses (24), doses omitted (110), dosing frequency incorrect (24) or dosing frequency omitted (63). The adverse drug reaction status was recorded correctly on 85% of patient‐completed medication histories. Conclusion Patient‐completed medication histories used in a pre‐admission surgical clinic were not accurate in 4 out of 5 patients. Pharmacists in a pre‐admission clinic can ensure the availability of an accurate medication history.