Effect of a pharmaceutical care plan by a multidisciplinary team of general practitioner and community pharmacist, together with the patient, on the prevention of hospital admissions related to medication

In 2006 a large multicenter study into drug related hospitalisations in The
Netherlands was performed: the HARM study (Hospital Admissions Related to
Medications). The HARM study determined the frequency of hospital admissions
caused by an adverse drug reaction or by a medication error within 21 hospitals
from all regions of The Netherlands. The study showed that this frequency was
considerable, as was expected from foreign studies. Almost 6% of the unplanned
admissions was drug related, of which 46% was potentially avoidable
(potentially caused by a medication error). When extrapolated to the
Netherlands this would result in a total of 16,000 potentially avoidable drug
related hospitalisations per year.
This large number of 16,000 is the reason for performing this intervention
study, which is aimed at reducing this number.

To determine the effect of a pharmaceutical care plan by the general
practitioner and the community pharmacist, together with the patient, on the
frequency of drug related hospital admissions.

Open, randomised, multicenter study in 100 pharmacies with selection of
intervention and control patients within each pharmacy of diffrent general
practitioners.

Burden concerns the filling out of questionnaires (2x quality of life, 1x
questionnaire on drug related problems) and a pharmaceutical intake (45 min)
and at least 3 evaluatie visits (total 30 min).

No risks associated with participation.