EVALUATION OF IMPACT OF MEDICATION RECONCILIATION IN STROKE PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain results in cell death and is the second most common cause of death after coronary artery disease. Stroke patients with added co-morbidities on an average are prescribed with 6-10 medications which increase the potential for Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) including inappropriate dose or indication for medication and Adverse Drug Events (ADEs). DRPs may be defined as "an event or circumstance involving drug therapy that actually or potentially interferes with desired health outcomes." Several studies support medication reconciliation as a mean to reduce ADEs and improve medication use safety. Medication reconciliation is the "process of comparing a patient's medication orders to all the medications that the patient has been taking." Hence, the aim was to assess the impact of medication reconciliation and patient counseling in stroke patients along with identification and categorization of DRPs and conducting patient counseling with the aid of PIL card. The most prominent DRP reported it was associated with treatment effectiveness. The correlation between age, comorbidities, and polypharmacy with the incidence of DRPs were found to be statistically significant. Inappropriate drug selection was the major cause of DRPs. 66.26% of the total DRPs were completely resolved, and 9.43% were partially solved. Patient counseling and medication alert card had a significant role in conducting reconciliation. An appropriate tool like PCNE can assist clinical pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to systematically identify, categorize, and report DRPs in a timely manner.