Cultivating best practices in care transitions through comprehensive medication management

Abstract

An estimated 20% of patients experience a postdischarge adverse event in the 30 days after hospital discharge, with approximately two-thirds of these events considered preventable or ameliorable. Numerous transitional care interventions have been developed and implemented by clinical pharmacists to reduce postdischarge adverse drug events and readmissions; however, most efforts are focused on the admission and discharge process. Low-quality evidence and mixed results from evaluations of postdischarge interventions have left health care organizations unsure which interventions provide the greatest value and how to optimize their implementation. Comprehensive medication management (CMM) is an approach, usually delivered by a pharmacist in collaboration with the health care team, which aims to standardize the wide variability in medication-specific pharmacist-led services to optimize medication use and improve clinical outcomes. This article aims to discuss how CMM can be used to cultivate best practices in care transitions.