Background: A significant proportion of patients with cancer experience Potentially Avoidable Readmissions (PARs). The complexity of cancer therapies and supportive medication regimens predisposes patients with cancer to non-adherence or misunderstanding. It is therefore imperative patients are provided with a Discharge Medication Record (DMR). The increasing number of outlying cancer inpatients and reduced weekend pharmacy staffing may impact DMR provision.
Aim: This study investigated the completion rate of DMRs for adult patients discharged from the care of oncology and haematology inpatient teams on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. A secondary aim was to determine if there was a difference in DMR provision between cancer and non-cancer wards.
Method: A retrospective audit of DMRs completed at discharge was conducted for patients at a metropolitan hospital. Data collected included whether a DMR was signed off at discharge, day of discharge, cancer ward or non-cancer ward, and whether the patient received any cancer treatment in the previous 14 days. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results: Completion rate for DMRs was significantly higher for the cancer ward compared to non-cancer wards (86% v 75%, p=0.0005). DMR provision on the cancer ward on weekdays was similar to Saturdays (89% v 87%, p=0.6580), but Sundays were significantly lower (89% v 62%, p<0.0001). On non-cancer wards, compared to weekdays, DMR provision on Saturdays was significantly lower (78% v 57%, p=0.0196), and non-significantly lower on Sundays (78% v 64%, p=0.2373). The number of outlying cancer inpatients continued to increase over the data collection period.
Conclusion: DMR completion rates were lower on the weekend, and for cancer inpatients on non-cancer wards. The findings highlight the impact of having reduced weekend pharmacist staffing and present an opportunity for a specialist cancer pharmacist outlier service. Future studies should investigate the impact of DMR provision on PARs.