Percentage of patients who received a current, accurate and comprehensive medication list at hospital discharge. Patients refers to all patients admitted for at least 24 hours whose care is transferred from the hospital inpatient setting to home or a community-based care facility. Medication list refers to a list of the medicines provided to the patient or carer, which includes the following information: all medicines to be taken by the patient, including the dose, frequency and indication for each medicine; information about changes to therapy, including dose changes, new medicines and ceased medicines; any medicines NOT to be taken by the patient, including those causing allergies/adverse drug reactions. Active ingredient name should be provided for each medicine and brand names should be listed as appropriate. The list must be in a format that is easily understood by lay persons and should not contain medical terminology or jargon. Current, accurate and comprehensive means that the discharge medication list contains all the information required for the patient or their caregiver to understand their medication regimen and effectively and safely manage their medicines after discharge. To determine whether the medication list is accurate and comprehensive, the auditor should compare the list with the: medicines prescribed on all current medication charts at the point of discharge. and patient's admission medication history. Any discrepancies that cannot be accounted for by the auditor should be taken to mean that the discharge medication list is not accurate and comprehensive. At the time of discharge means the medication list is produced and provided to the patient within 24 hours prior to or at the patient's discharge. Hospital discharge means transfer of care from an inpatient facility to home or another site of community based care, such as a residential aged care facility, but not transfer to another acute care facility.

Number of patients who received a current, accurate and comprehensive medication list at hospital discharge

Number of discharged patients taking medicines in sample

Patients transferred to another acute care facility; patients cared for only in the emergency department i.e. not admitted.

Audits using patient medication lists, discharge documentation including dispensing information and discharge summaries, medication charts, medication management plans or reconciliation forms and medical records.

Recommended for local quality improvement processes. Not regularly reported at national level.

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and NSW Therapeutic Advisory Group Inc. (2014), National Quality Use of Medicines Indicators for Australian Hospitals. ACSQHC, Sydney www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/SAQ127NationalQUMIndicatorsV14-FINAL-D14-39602.pdf page 102