Implementation and Evaluation of a Pediatric Behavioral Health Medication Reconciliation Program in a Regional Tertiary Care Pediatric Emergency Department.

OBJECTIVE: Currently, there is limited information regarding the effect of a pharmacy-managed medication reconciliation program for pediatric behavioral health patients admitted to an inpatient service through a pediatric emergency department. This research aimed to determine the impact of a pediatric behavioral health medication reconciliation program in a regional tertiary care pediatric emergency department. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center analysis evaluated the implementation of a medication reconciliation program in the pediatric behavioral health population using a pre-post design. We compared the quantity of pharmacy-initiated admission medication reconciliation interventions, the time to completion of admission medication reconciliations, and the trends in completion rates for a 2-month period before (October 1, 2022, to November 30, 2022) and after implementation (October 1, 2023, to November 30, 2023). RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were included, 59 in the pre-intervention group and 48 in the post-intervention group. Between the pre-intervention and post-intervention groups, the post-intervention group had a statistically significantly higher number of interventions by pharmacists (61 vs 129, p < 0.0001). The most common pharmacy intervention made in the post-intervention group was discontinuation of the medication order. The average time to completion of admission medication reconciliation increased from 16.33 hours in the pre-intervention group to 38.47 hours in the post-intervention group (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a medication reconciliation program in the pediatric behavioral health population admitted through a pediatric emergency department has the potential to increase the quantity of medication discrepancies identified. Time to completion of medication reconciliation increased significantly in the post-intervention group.