Sharing of relevant medication information through discharge summaries in an acute setting – perspectives from hospital-based physicians, general practitioners and clinical pharmacists

Background Poor-quality discharge summaries, particularly regarding medication information, can lead to adverse drug events, readmissions or even to death. Therefore, effective medication communication across sectors is crucial, especially for multimorbid elderly patients, who are at high risk due to polypharmacy and complex needs. While pharmacists’ recommendations improve discharge quality, they also add to the information flow. This focus group interview study aims to explore healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the current exchange of medication information in discharge summaries between an emergency hospital department and general practice to tailor the communication of recommendations from a clinical pharmacist after a medication review ensuring a safer transition between healthcare sectors for patients in Denmark. Methods A semi-structured focus group interview was conducted with nine healthcare professionals from primary and secondary healthcare sector. Data were synthesized independently by two researchers using thematic analysis. Results In total, the focus group interview included nine participants (four hospital-based physicians (including a clinical pharmacologist), three general practitioners (GPs), and two clinical pharmacists). We identified three themes each including three sub-themes from the thematic analysis: Theme 1) Challenges with the usability and implementability of medication content in discharge summaries with sub-themes concentrated on key information, lack of information and usability of updated medication lists. Theme 2) Different healthcare practices affect the management of medication information from discharge summaries in which the sub-themes were concentrated on time constraints, color coding interpretation and information load, and theme 3) How to tailor pharmacist-led recommendations from medication reviews focusing on information regarding polypharmacy and medication compliance, evidence-based information and information directed to the outpatient clinics. Conclusion This study highlights new knowledge crucial for tailoring the communication of recommendations from a clinical pharmacist: there is a need for concise medication information in discharge summaries focused on medication changes, reasons for these changes, polypharmacy, compliance and recommendations requiring GP review. Improving discharge summaries requires standardized routines, shared format understanding, and innovative technology to ensure that GPs can easily find, comprehend, and act on medication information. Moreover, exchange of medication information for outpatients were perceived challenging and needs further exploration.