Effect of educational intervention on medication reconciliation practice of hospital pharmacists in a developing country – A non-randomised controlled trial

Background Medication reconciliation is an evidence-based practice that reduces medication-related harm to patients. This study evaluated the effect of educational intervention on medication reconciliation practice of pharmacists among ambulatory diabetes and hypertensive patients. Methods A non-randomized clinical trial on medication reconciliation practice was carried out among 85 and 61 pharmacists at the intervention site and control site, respectively. Medication reconciliation was carried out among 334 (intervention-183; control-151) diabetes and/or hypertensive patients by the principal investigator to indirectly evaluate pharmacists' baseline medication reconciliation practice at both sites. A general educational intervention was carried out among intervention pharmacists. Medication reconciliation was carried out by the principal investigator among another cohort of 96 (intervention-46; control-50) and 90 (intervention-44; control-46) patients at three and six months postintervention, respectively, to indirectly assess pharmacists' postintervention medication reconciliation practice. Thereafter, a focused educational intervention was carried out among 15 of the intervention pharmacists. Three experts in clinical pharmacy analysed the medication reconciliation form filled by the 15 pharmacists after carrying out medication reconciliation on another cohort of 140 patients, after the focused intervention. Data was summarized with descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean [+ or -] standard deviation) and inferential (Pearson product-moment correlations analysis, independent-samples t-test and one-way ANOVA) statistics with level of significance set at p