Effectiveness of Medication Reconciliation in a Chinese Hospital: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Dongyan Chai,1,2,* Zhihui Liu,3,* Liuyi Wang,3 Hongyan Duan,2,3 Chenglong Zhao,1 Chengyang Xu,2 Dongyan Zhang,1 Qiongrui Zhao,4 Peizhi Ma1 1Department of Pharmacy, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital, Henan University People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan People’s Republic of China; 2International Medical Center of Henan Province, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of General Practice, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Clinical Research Service Center, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Peizhi Ma, Department of Pharmacy, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital, Henan University People’s Hospital, Weiwu Road 7, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18538298188, Fax +86 037165580803, Email ma18539298188@163.comBackground: Implementing medication reconciliation (MR) was complex and challenging because of the variability in the guidance provided for conducting. The processes of MR adopted in China were different from that recommended by the World Health Organization. A pilot study to inform the design of a future randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of these two workflows was undertaken.Methods: Patients taking at least one home/regular medication for hypertension, diabetes, or coronary heart disease were recruited at admission, and then were randomized using a computer-generated random number in a closed envelope. In the study group, the pharmacist reviewed electronic medical record systems before communication with patients. In the control group, pharmacists communicated with patients at patient’s admission. The time investment of pharmacists for MR process, the number of unintende