An Evaluation of a Medication History Method

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a drug history method. The method consisted of a review of systems (ROS) history format, which utilized common symptoms/diseases per organ system matched with corresponding drug treatments. Findings of this method were compared with drug histories documented in the medical record. The study was conducted over an eight-week period on general medicine inpatients and ICU patients. All data retrieved were categorized into total number of drugs found and then analyzed as to legend, non-legend, and unidentifiable content. Findings were statistically analyzed using chi–square. During the study, 207 patients were admitted. Of these patients, 186 drug histories were obtained; 21 patients could not be interviewed. The ROS method documented 406 drugs as compared with 60 drugs by the medical record ( p < 0.001). Performance time was comparable to similar studies (14 ± 5.85 min). Using a concise, logically organized technique, more drugs were identified than reported by the medical record. We conclude that the experimental method is a productive method for obtaining a drug history.

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