GP records ‘don’t match’ aged care medication charts for 95% of residents
Researcher Professor Meredith Makeham blames poor information sharing between aged care and GP practices
The details of medications listed in GP practice records don’t match those in patients’ nursing home medication lists in 95% of cases, an Australian study suggests.
Researchers say while not all discrepancies could be considered harmful, some were significant enough to potentially cause serious polypharmacy adverse events.
Led by Sydney GP Professor Meredith Makeham, they analysed medication lists for 203 residents at 53 nursing homes in northern Sydney.
Only 11 residents had a matched medication record at both settings.
