The Patient-Held Active Record of Medication Status (PHARMS) study: A mixed-methods feasibility analysis

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dc.contributor.authorWalsh, Elaine K.
dc.contributor.authorSahm, Laura J.
dc.contributor.authorBradley, Colin P.
dc.contributor.authorDalton, Kieran
dc.contributor.authorO'Sullivan, Kathleen
dc.contributor.authorMcCarthy, Stephen
dc.contributor.authorConnolly, Eimear
dc.contributor.authorFitzgerald, Ciara
dc.contributor.authorSmithson, William H.
dc.contributor.authorKerins, David
dc.contributor.authorByrne, Derina
dc.contributor.authorKearney, Patricia M.
dc.contributor.funderIrish College of General Practitioners
dc.contributor.funderUniversity College Cork
dc.contributor.funderMediSec Ireland
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-10T15:50:01Z
dc.date.available2026-07-10T15:50:01Z
dc.date.issued2019-05-01
dc.description.abstractBackground: Medication errors frequently occur as patients transition between hospital and the community, and may result in patient harm. Novel methods are required to address this issue. Aim: To assess the feasibility of introducing an electronic patient-held active record of medication status device (PHARMS) at the primary-secondary care interface at the time of hospital discharge. Design and setting: A mixed-methods study (non-randomised controlled intervention, and a process evaluation of qualitative interviews and non-participant observation) among patients >60 years in an urban hospital and general practices in Cork, Ireland. Method: The number and clinical significance of errors were compared between discharge prescriptions of the intervention (issued with a PHARMS device) and control (usual care, handwritten discharge prescription) groups. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients, junior doctors, GPs, and IT professionals, in addition to direct observation of the implementation process. Results: In all, 102 patients were included in the final analysis (intervention n = 41, control n = 61). Total error number was lower in the intervention group (median 1, interquartile range [IQR] 0-3) than in the control group (median 8, IQR (4-13.5, P<0.001), with the clinical significance score in the intervention group also being lower than the control group (median 2, IQR 0-4 versus median 11, IQR 5-20, P<0.001). The PHARMS device was found to be technically implementable using existing information technology infrastructure, and acceptable to all key stakeholders. Conclusion: The results suggest that using PHARMS devices within existing systems in general practice and hospitals is feasible and acceptable to both patients and doctors, and may reduce medication error.en
dc.description.sponsorshipMediSec Ireland
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.authororcidWalsh, Elaine K.
dc.identifier.authororcidSahm, Laura J.§0000-0002-7496-9477
dc.identifier.authororcidBradley, Colin P.
dc.identifier.authororcidDalton, Kieran§0000-0003-1209-8079
dc.identifier.authororcidO'Sullivan, Kathleen
dc.identifier.authororcidMcCarthy, Stephen§0000-0002-5761-7162
dc.identifier.authororcidConnolly, Eimear
dc.identifier.authororcidFitzgerald, Ciara
dc.identifier.authororcidSmithson, William H.
dc.identifier.authororcidKerins, David§0000-0003-0938-3661
dc.identifier.authororcidByrne, Derina
dc.identifier.authororcidKearney, Patricia M.§0000-0001-9599-3540
dc.identifier.citationWalsh, E K, Sahm, L J, Bradley, C P, Dalton, K, O'Sullivan, K, McCarthy, S, Connolly, E, Fitzgerald, C, Smithson, W H, Kerins, D, Byrne, D & Kearney, P M 2019, 'The Patient-Held Active Record of Medication Status (PHARMS) study: A mixed-methods feasibility analysis', British Journal of General Practice, vol. 69, no. 682, pp. 345-355. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X702413
dc.identifier.doi10.3399/bjgp19X702413
dc.identifier.endpage355
dc.identifier.issn0960-1643
dc.identifier.issued682
dc.identifier.journaltitleBritish Journal of General Practice
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0001-9599-3540/work/196578103
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-5761-7162/work/196579425
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-1209-8079/work/196681228
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-7496-9477/work/197984044
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-0938-3661/work/205899589
dc.identifier.startpage345
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19054
dc.identifier.volume69
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherRoyal College of General Practitioners
dc.rights© 2019 British Journal of General Practice.
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectElectronic health records
dc.subjectGeneral practice
dc.subjectMedication errors
dc.subjectPatient transfer
dc.subjectSecondary care
dc.subject[Pharmacy]
dc.subject[Medicine]
dc.subject[Insight Centre for Data Analytics]
dc.subject[CUBS]
dc.titleThe Patient-Held Active Record of Medication Status (PHARMS) study: A mixed-methods feasibility analysisen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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