Impact of a Nationwide Medication History Sharing Program on the Care Process and End-User Experience in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital: Cohort Study and Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract BackgroundTimely and comprehensive collection of a patient’s medication history in the emergency department (ED) is crucial for optimizing health care delivery. The implementation of a medication history sharing program, titled “Patient’s In-home Medications at a Glance,” in a tertiary teaching hospital aimed to efficiently collect and display nationwide medication histories for patients’ initial hospital visits. ObjectiveAs an evaluation was necessary to provide a balanced picture of the program, we aimed to evaluate both care process outcomes and humanistic outcomes encompassing end-user experience of physicians and pharmacists. MethodsWe conducted a cohort study and a cross-sectional study to evaluate both outcomes. To evaluate the care process, we measured the time from the first ED assessment to urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) initiation from electronic health records. To assess end-user experience, we developed a 22-item questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale, including 5 domains: information quality, system quality, service quality, user satisfaction, and intention to reuse. This questionnaire was validated and distributed to physicians and pharmacists. The Mann-Whiteny U ResultsThe time from the first ED assessment to urgent PCI initiation at the ED was significantly decreased using the patient medication history program (mean rank 42.14 min vs 28.72 min; Mann-Whitney UP ConclusionsTimely and complete retrieval using a medication history-sharing program led to an improved care process by expediting critical decision-making in the ED, thereby contributing to value-based health care delivery in a real-world setting. The experiences of end users, including physicians and pharmacists, indicated satisfaction with the program regarding information quality and their intention to reuse.