Medication Safety in Primary Care Practice - Translating Research into Practice (

Medical University Of South Carolina, Charleston SC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Medication errors in primary care practice are an important cause of morbidity but the extent of[unreadable] these errors is largely unknown and effective interventions for reducing these errors need to be[unreadable] developed and tested. The Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet), a practice-based[unreadable] research network among primary health care providers practicing in 38 States who use a[unreadable] common electronic medical record (EMR), has developed a quality improvement model for[unreadable] successfully translating research into primary care practice termed PPRNet-TRIP. PPRNet-[unreadable] TRIP incorporates prioritization of evidence-based quality philosophies, involving all staff[unreadable] (teamwork), delivery system redesign, patient activation, and EMR tools for individualized and[unreadable] population-based medicine. PPRNet-TRIP is implemented in practice settings through a[unreadable] combination of practice performance reports, practice site visits, network meetings, and webbased[unreadable] tools. The purpose of the activities proposed in the application is to conduct a[unreadable] demonstration project among 20 PPRNet practices. The project is intended to develop a set of[unreadable] medication safety measures relevant for primary care, incorporate these measures in practice[unreadable] performance reports sent quarterly to participating practices, and assess the impact of PPRNet-[unreadable] TRIP on the incidence of these errors. The project will be 3 years in duration. During the first 9[unreadable] months, a preliminary set of medication safety indicators developed by the research team will be[unreadable] refined, using a consensus development process among the participating practices. Programs[unreadable] will be developed to add these medication safety measures to the quarterly PPRNet practice[unreadable] reports. A two year intervention will then be conducted, including the performance reports,[unreadable] network meetings, and practice site visits, to help practices systematize their use of the[unreadable] medication safety clinical decision support features in their EMR system. These features[unreadable] include warnings for drug allergies, drug-drug interactions, drug-disease interactions, incorrect[unreadable] dosages, and drug ineffectiveness; and prompts for therapeutic monitoring to prevent adverse[unreadable] drug events. After two years the impact of the intervention on the incidence of medication errors[unreadable] will be assessed. A mixed-method process evaluation will also be conducted to assess project.[unreadable] The findings will then be disseminated to other PPRNet practices and more broadly through[unreadable] presentations and publications.