Medication reconciliation process receives Accreditation Canada stamp of approval

The MUHC is pleased to announce that it received confirmation that its medication reconciliation process is fully compliant with Accreditation Canada’s Required Organization Practice (ROP) for the sites visited in 2019.

Studies indicate that for more than 50 per cent of patients there is a difference in the medication they take at home and the one prescribed in hospital. This unintentional change poses a risk to patient safety and can lead to an increase in monitoring and care costs, as well as delays in discharge. Given this reality, the process of reconciling or coordinating a patient’s medication, on admission, during internal transfers and at discharge is a major concern for hospitals.

Developing a strategy to improve the medication reconciliation process

During Accreditation Canada’s 2019 visit, the MUHC was encouraged to apply the medication reconciliation process throughout the organization and was asked to submit action plans to demonstrate that compliance was reached for the following units: 

• Mental Health and Addiction (inpatient, outpatient clinics and Psychiatric Emergency and BIU (Brief Intervention Unit) 
• Pediatric Psychiatry (inpatient and outpatient clinic) 
• Obstetrics (C6-D6) 

Following this visit, and in preparation for the next Accreditation visit in 2023, the implementation of this ROP became a priority for the MUHC and additional resources were mobilized to:

• Develop the process, tools and review the policy and procedure 
• Ensure and oversee their implementation 
• Provide training to nurses, physicians, residents, and PTAs (pharmacy technician assistants), depending on the pathway determined in the MUHC medication reconciliation policy on admission, transfer and at discharge of patient.

Implementation during the pandemic

The implementation of the ROP on the units was executed swiftly and efficiently due to the incredible dedication of the teams involved. “I want to thank everyone for the collaboration that took place to improve the process and provide excellent care during these challenging times. It is important to celebrate our accomplishments and the impact on the safety of our patients,” said Chantal Bellerose, Associate Director Quality, Evaluation, Performance and Ethics Directorate. 

Special congratulations and appreciation to all who made this success story possible, as well as their team members, including:

• Andre Bonnici - Chief Pharmacist
• Yvonne Yeung - Clinical Project Manager
• Catherine Jetté-Robert -Project Manager Organizational Project Management Office(OPMO)
• Anne-Elyse Deguire - Advisor, Quality and Risk Management
• Gregory Meterissian - Adult Psychiatry Chief MD
• Julie Desmarais – MD in charge of BIU
• Martin Gignac – Pediatric psychiatry chief MD
• Tara Vaincourt - Nurse Manager, Interim
• Jennifer Errunza - Pediatric Outpatient Clinic
• Jennifer Der - Nurse Manager, Interim
• Richard Brown - OBSGYN Chief MD
• Marie-Josée Bourassa - WHM Coordinator
• Jennifer Pepin - OBS Nurse Manager
• Pharmacy technical assistants

While many departments are currently, or will soon be, preparing for the next Accreditation visit, rest assured that this new and improved process will be implemented in various units at the earliest opportunity.