Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital
Abstract Background Timely and accurate discharge medicine information is essential for primary care clinicians, including general practitioners and community pharmacists, to provide safe and effective post-discharge care. Inadequate handover of discharge medicines poses risks of medication-related...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12972-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849402970816380928 |
|---|---|
| author | H. Laetitia Hattingh Matt Percival Kate Johnston Georgia Tobiano Hayley Hirsch Carl de Wet Salim Memon Mark A. Morgan Rachael Raleigh Noela Baglot Brigid M. Gillespie |
| author_facet | H. Laetitia Hattingh Matt Percival Kate Johnston Georgia Tobiano Hayley Hirsch Carl de Wet Salim Memon Mark A. Morgan Rachael Raleigh Noela Baglot Brigid M. Gillespie |
| author_sort | H. Laetitia Hattingh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Timely and accurate discharge medicine information is essential for primary care clinicians, including general practitioners and community pharmacists, to provide safe and effective post-discharge care. Inadequate handover of discharge medicines poses risks of medication-related harm, compromising patient safety and leads to hospital readmissions. This study aimed to develop a multifaceted intervention targeting older patients (>65 years) to enhance medicine handover at hospital discharge. Methods Following an initial consensus-building workshop, a structured five-step co-design process was implemented. Step 1 involved workshops and interviews with hospital clinicians, hospital leadership, primary care providers, and consumers experienced in discharge medicine handover. Stakeholder input in Step 2 refined intervention components and developed training materials. Step 3 obtained endorsement from health service decision makers and governance approvals. Step 4 included pharmacist upskilling, end-user testing, and feedback collection. Step 5 finalised intervention components and constructed a Logic Model. Results Seventy-eight stakeholders participated in workshops and interviews from August to November 2023. Four key medicine handover objectives for older patients emerged, which were operationalised into intervention recommendations over a five-month period (December 2023-April 2024). Component 1 empowered patients to query clinicians about their medications via a dedicated website with a question builder and evidence-based resources. Component 2 involved training doctors to document reasons for medicine changes in patient records. Component 3 implemented patient risk stratification to guide tailored strategies for communication to primary care clinicians. Component 4 focused on discharge reconciliation planning by unit pharmacists in collaboration with physicians. End-user testing yielded positive feedback. Conclusions A co-designed multifaceted intervention was developed to enhance medicine handover during hospital discharge. The intervention will undergo feasibility testing to assess its impact on reducing medication-related harm and hospital readmissions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39fd4f45621f4d67972e50e4268fa824 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-39fd4f45621f4d67972e50e4268fa8242025-08-20T03:37:23ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632025-07-0125111210.1186/s12913-025-12972-7Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospitalH. Laetitia Hattingh0Matt Percival1Kate Johnston2Georgia Tobiano3Hayley Hirsch4Carl de Wet5Salim Memon6Mark A. Morgan7Rachael Raleigh8Noela Baglot9Brigid M. Gillespie10Allied Health Research, Gold Coast Hospital and Health ServiceAllied Health and Rehabilitation Services, Chronic Disease and Post-Acute Programs, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS)Gold Coast Hospital and Health ServiceNHMRC Wiser Wounds CRE, Griffith UniversityPharmacy, Gold Coast Hospital and Health ServiceSouth West Hospital and Health ServiceStrategy, Transformation and Major Capital, Gold Coast Hospital and Health ServiceFaculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond UniversityPharmacy, Gold Coast Hospital and Health ServiceConsumer Advisory Group, Gold Coast Hospital and Health ServiceNHMRC Wiser Wounds CRE, Griffith UniversityAbstract Background Timely and accurate discharge medicine information is essential for primary care clinicians, including general practitioners and community pharmacists, to provide safe and effective post-discharge care. Inadequate handover of discharge medicines poses risks of medication-related harm, compromising patient safety and leads to hospital readmissions. This study aimed to develop a multifaceted intervention targeting older patients (>65 years) to enhance medicine handover at hospital discharge. Methods Following an initial consensus-building workshop, a structured five-step co-design process was implemented. Step 1 involved workshops and interviews with hospital clinicians, hospital leadership, primary care providers, and consumers experienced in discharge medicine handover. Stakeholder input in Step 2 refined intervention components and developed training materials. Step 3 obtained endorsement from health service decision makers and governance approvals. Step 4 included pharmacist upskilling, end-user testing, and feedback collection. Step 5 finalised intervention components and constructed a Logic Model. Results Seventy-eight stakeholders participated in workshops and interviews from August to November 2023. Four key medicine handover objectives for older patients emerged, which were operationalised into intervention recommendations over a five-month period (December 2023-April 2024). Component 1 empowered patients to query clinicians about their medications via a dedicated website with a question builder and evidence-based resources. Component 2 involved training doctors to document reasons for medicine changes in patient records. Component 3 implemented patient risk stratification to guide tailored strategies for communication to primary care clinicians. Component 4 focused on discharge reconciliation planning by unit pharmacists in collaboration with physicians. End-user testing yielded positive feedback. Conclusions A co-designed multifaceted intervention was developed to enhance medicine handover during hospital discharge. The intervention will undergo feasibility testing to assess its impact on reducing medication-related harm and hospital readmissions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12972-7Discharge medicine handoverHospital pharmacistCo-designMedication managementInformation transfer |
| spellingShingle | H. Laetitia Hattingh Matt Percival Kate Johnston Georgia Tobiano Hayley Hirsch Carl de Wet Salim Memon Mark A. Morgan Rachael Raleigh Noela Baglot Brigid M. Gillespie Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital BMC Health Services Research Discharge medicine handover Hospital pharmacist Co-design Medication management Information transfer |
| title | Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital |
| title_full | Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital |
| title_fullStr | Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital |
| title_full_unstemmed | Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital |
| title_short | Co-design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital |
| title_sort | co design of a multifaceted intervention to improve quality handover of medicine information at discharge from hospital |
| topic | Discharge medicine handover Hospital pharmacist Co-design Medication management Information transfer |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-12972-7 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hlaetitiahattingh codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT mattpercival codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT katejohnston codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT georgiatobiano codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT hayleyhirsch codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT carldewet codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT salimmemon codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT markamorgan codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT rachaelraleigh codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT noelabaglot codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital AT brigidmgillespie codesignofamultifacetedinterventiontoimprovequalityhandoverofmedicineinformationatdischargefromhospital |