How the safety of drug therapy can be optimized at the interface between hospital and medical practice will soon be tested in Saarland through the project "TOP." TOP stands for "Transsectoral Optimization of Patient Safety" and is funded by the Federal Innovation Fund with around 9.3 million euros for four years. In this project, BARMER, Klinikum Saarbrücken, and SHG-Kliniken Völklingen are collaborating in Saarland. TOP aims to protect patients from harm caused by insufficiently coordinated drug combinations by closing information gaps. “Information on the treatment of diseases and prescribed medications is often missing for new patients in the hospital. Especially with multiple illnesses and care provided by different doctors, the risk of health-endangering errors increases,” says Dunja Kleis, State Manager of BARMER in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
Current knowledge ensured
The project enables the transmission of all important medical history from routine health insurance data to the treating doctors in the hospital without delay. They receive a list of all prescribed medications and are alerted by software to risks associated with the drug therapy. "In outpatient care, 1,860 active substances are prescribed in 445,000 combinations. No one can assess this variety without electronic support. TOP increases safety for patients who take multiple medications," says Kleis. Patients receiving complex and risky drug therapies are co-managed in surgical departments by a ward pharmacist. They also support the discharge process to ensure that no information is lost during the transition back to primary care. "TOP is part of BARMER's overall strategy for greater safety in drug therapy and is being practically tested in 14 clinics nationwide," explains Kleis. The project partner is also AOK Nordost.
Active Role of Winterberg in Medication Therapy Safety
The Managing Director and Medical Director of Klinikum Saarbrücken, Dr. Christian Braun, emphasized Winterberg's active role in the field of medication therapy safety (AMTS) for many years: “AMTS has been an important topic at Winterberg for almost 20 years. As the first hospital in Germany, we introduced electronic prescribing support and organized the first AMTS congress in 2005 together with the Federal Ministry of Health. Since then, we have been driving the topic forward on a national level through exemplary leadership and contributions to discussions.” The hospital hopes the project will bring about changes at the systemic level: “These are necessary so that hospitals can work better across sectors with outpatient colleagues to ensure safe medication therapy for patients.”
Important information is missing for four out of five emergency patients
Professor Daniel Grandt, Chief Physician of Internal Medicine I at Saarbrücken Clinic, said: "A survey conducted by the German Hospital Institute among hospitals in Germany showed that important patient information is missing for treatment decisions in four out of five emergency patients. Studies show that these information deficits are often the cause of medication errors. Although hospital doctors spend an average of 22 minutes per patient researching missing information, the overview of diseases and current drug therapy often remains incomplete. Drug therapy without full information is an incalculable risk! The TOP project solves this problem."
“Building block for improving patient safety in hospitals”
Professor Harald Schäfer, Chief Physician of Medical Clinic II at the SHG Clinics Völklingen, said: "The project is another important building block for improving patient safety in the hospital. Disease- and medication-relevant preliminary information about patients is available to hospital doctors upon admission. Critical drug interactions can be avoided. Patients and general practitioners receive important additional information regarding drug therapy upon discharge."
Caption (image attached):
Want to optimize the safety of drug therapy at the interface between hospital and doctor's practice (from left to right): Professor Daniel Grandt, Chief Physician of Internal Medicine I at Klinikum Saarbrücken, Dr. Christian Braun, Managing Director and Medical Director of Klinikum Saarbrücken, BARMER Regional Manager Dunja Kleis, and Professor Harald Schäfer, Chief Physician of Medical Clinic II at the SHG Clinics Völklingen.
Photo: BARMER/J. Weyland
