Implementation of a Patient's Own Medication (POD) System

Background: Patient safety issues identified in relation to patient’s own medications being used without official sanction or protocol. Medications being prescribed incorrectly due to old pharmacy lists or verbal... [ view full abstract ]

Background:

Patient safety issues identified in relation to patient’s own medications being used without official sanction or protocol.
Medications being prescribed incorrectly due to old pharmacy lists or verbal mis-information. Incorrect drug types being prescribed, e.g. -anti rejection drugs.
Increasing financial costs with reduction in pharmacy budget.

Aim and objectives:

To reduce medication safety incidents.
To increase continuity of patient care from community to acute setting.
To increase patient knowledge while empowering them to take ownership of medications
To reduce hospital pharmacy costs with the implementation of a POD system.


Methods:

To collect quantitative data-
- Staff medication incidents records pre and post implementation of PODs
- Number of issues of drugs to ward, number of returns.
- Compare pharmacy spend from 2012 to 2013 monthly.
- Nurse satisfaction survey
- Patient satisfaction survey

Analysis and Results:

Reduced workload for nurses once initial drug checklist completed. Eliminates searching for drugs, borrowing from other units, reduces omissions of drugs due to not being in stock out of hours, drugs held at central point and accessible.
Reduced pharmacist workload.
Increased patient satisfaction -more confident that they are on correct medication, none omitted.
Reduced financial pharmacy costs due to decreased issues, returns and destruction.
Reduced medication incidents.

Recommendations:

Extend POD system to other wards-rolled out to a medical short stay including cabinets per patient.
Extend to patient administrating own medications.