Clinical pharmacists? reported approaches and processes for undertaking Home Medicines Review services: A national survey

Introduction: Comprehensive medicines reviews are a strategy to reduce medicines-related harm. In Australia, Home Medicines Review services (HMRs) are provided by consultant pharmacists to community-dwelling con-sumers, on referral from the consumer's medical practitioner. Limited research exists on the processes under-taken by consultant pharmacists when delivering HMRs, particularly as it relates to the information types received, collected, and reported. Objective: Describe the types of information consultant pharmacists report receiving in HMR referrals, collect before and during consumer consultations, and include in their written reports. Materials and Methods: We conducted a national online survey of Australian consultant pharmacists who deliver HMRs. Participants were recruited using a broad advertising strategy, including social and traditional media platforms, and snowballing. Data were analysed descriptively. Results: Of the 248 eligible participants, 179 (72%) completed the survey. The most commonly included infor-mation in the referral was medication list (97%), the least were details of hospitalisations (8%) and specialist letters (5%). Information pertaining to hospitalisation and specialist letters were collected by 20% of participants prior to the consultation. Details of, and history from, community pharmacy was the most sought information prior to consultations. Less than a quarter of participants 'most of the time' or 'always' formally assess adherence using a validated instrument during the consultation. Participants commonly (80%) report consumer concerns in the written report. Conclusions: Consultant pharmacists collect a broad variety of information, beyond medicines-related content. Written HMR reports by consultant pharmacists were often reported to be consumer-centric.

Automated summary

Comprehensive medicines reviews aim to reduce medicines-related harm, and in Australia, consultant pharmacists provide Home Medicines Review (HMR) services to community-dwelling consumers. This study found that consultant pharmacists collect a variety of information, including medication lists, hospitalization details, specialist letters, and community pharmacy history. The written HMR reports by consultant pharmacists were reported to be consumer-centric.