Medication histories documentation at the community pharmacy setting: A study from Jordan

OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to evaluate community pharmacists’ awareness and perception about medication reconciliation service and to assess the completeness of collecting patients’ medication histories in the community pharmacy setting. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February to March 2018 in Amman-Jordan. During the study period, 150 community pharmacists were invited to participate in the study. Each pharmacist completed a validated structured questionnaire evaluating their awareness, current practice, perceived attitude and perceived barriers towards the implementation of medication reconciliation and the collection of medication histories at the community pharmacy setting. RESULTS: A total of 121 pharmacists agreed to participate and filled the questionnaire. Our results showed that only 13.2% of the pharmacists were able to define “medication reconciliation” correctly, and around 31% have a misconception that the medication reconciliation process should be performed only at the inpatient setting. Only 19.8% (n = 24) of the participating pharmacists stated that they ask all patients for a complete current medication list of medications when they arrive at the pharmacy site. Medication histories for most patients were lacking information about the dosage, route, frequency, and time of the last refill for each medication listed. “Patients lack of awareness about all the medications they are receiving” was the main barrier discouraging community pharmacists from collecting medication histories and participating in reconciliation service. CONCLUSION: Community pharmacists in Jordan showed a low awareness about the medication reconciliation concept and demonstrated a modest role in obtaining medication histories in community pharmacies. But still, they showed a positive attitude towards their role in implementing the different steps of medication reconciliation. This suggests that educational workshops to increase pharmacists’ awareness about their role and responsibilities in collecting a complete and accurate medication history are warrented.