Dispensing Standardised Medication in a Tertiary Hospital Emergency Department

Introduction

It is well-known that there is a lack of continuity in care received from the emergency department, as patients have to visit their physician in order to receive official prescriptions. A programme has been designed that aims to provide these patients with a therapeutic protocol to ensure that they are treated, thus improving coordination between the Hospital Emergency Department and Primary Care.

Methods

Creating a multidisciplinary team. Choosing the diagnoses that are most common in the emergency department and which are likely to be standardised. Developing treatment protocols, adapting them to the diagnoses selected. Creating a database, collecting, processing and analysing data. Designing satisfaction surveys, for patients given a therapeutic protocol, and for practitioners involved in the programme.

Results

Treatment protocols were assigned to the nine most common diagnoses in the emergency department, with three-day treatment. The selected diagnoses covered 19.5% of the population attending the Emergency Department. A treatment protocol was dispensed to 17.3% of patients with the selected diagnoses. Patient satisfaction was excellent. Physicians approved of the programme, but the treatment protocol prescription did not agree with the degree of approval.

Conclusions

The results show that the programme was excellently accepted by both patients and physicians, although the coverage given to the needs identified was lower than required.