Construction and evaluation of medication reconciliation instruments for pediatric patients

Abstract

Objective: To construct and evaluate medication reconciliation instruments for hospital admission moments and the internal transfers of pediatric patients to the context of Brazilian hospitals. Methods: Prospective descriptive study was performed from April 2014 to March 2015 in a pediatric public hospital. Four instruments were designed based on international literature to record the primary medication history, participant data and medication reconciliation. The instruments were analyzed by experts in Delphi technique. A pilot study assessed the need for adjustments and the clinical practice application compared to the primary drug history with the best possible drug history. A pilot study evaluated the necessity for adjustments and applicability in clinical practice compared to the primary medication history with the best possible medication history. The Pearson correlation and the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Experts suggested improvements in “Clear language and correct terminology”. The pilot study indicated the need for instrument adjustments. Clinical practice identified a significant difference (P <0.05) in the comparison of the pharmaceutical researcher registry with the other professional registry for almost all variables analyzed, except for the information source and the intervention record. Conclusion: The medication reconciliation forms were valid for pediatric patients in the institution studied and their allocation in a visible and accessible place of the medical records of similar institutions would allow the availability of relevant information about the drugs in use by pediatric patients to all those involved in their care, contributing to a safer care.