Medicines Reconciliation at an Intensive Care Unit

Medicines Reconciliation at an Intensive Care Unit

This study evaluates the effect of performing medicines reconciliation on patients admitted to an intensive care unit. Half of the patients will receive a medicines reconciliation at the intensive care unit. The other half will not. All included patients will receive medicines reconciliation after transfer to the ward.

Transfer of patients from one level of care to another is known to increase the risk of medication errors. Medication reconciliation is an accepted intervention to increase the knowledge on the patients medication use, thus reducing the risk of avoidable medication errors. For patients in the intensive care unit treatment of the imminent threat is obviously the most important. Nevertheless, knowledge about previous medications are important.

Inclusion Criteria:

• belonging to the hospitals intake area
• written informed concent by the patient or his/her next to kin

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients without next to kin
• Not Norwegian speaking, in need of a translator
• medication reconciliation performed earlier
• Patients with Guillain-Barre or Myasthenia Gravis, due to long expectancy of stay
• Short life expectancy, decided in cooperation with the physician