Pharmacist-led program to improve transitions from acute care to skilled nursing facility care.
Achilleos M, McEwen J, Hoesly M, et al. Pharmacist-led program to improve transitions from acute care to skilled nursing facility care. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2020;77(12). doi:10.1093/ajhp/zxaa090.
Pharmacists are critical to ensuring safe transitions between acute care and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This retrospective study evaluated the frequency of missed doses of high-risk medications after hospital-to-SNF transfers and found that 60% of first doses of high-risk medications were given after the scheduled administration time. After implementation of a medication order process including pharmacist-led medication reconciliation, the average delay in medication administration decreased significantly.