Summary of prospective studies of incompleteness of medication histories obtained at the ED
| Study | Sample size | Design | Results |
| Gleason et al1 | 204 | Definition of medication history: prescription medication, over-the-counter drugs, supplements Definition of discrepancy: drug omission and commission, incorrectness of dose, frequency and route of administration Comparison: pharmacist↔physician | 48% of the patients who were admitted directly from GPs' offices and from other institutions had at least one discrepancy |
| Carter et al7 | 252 | Definition of medication history: prescription medication Definition of discrepancy: (a) drug omission (b) omission of dose, frequency and route of administration Comparison: pharmacist↔trauma team (physicians, nurses and medical students) | (a) 25% of home medications were not identified (b) 78% of the documented home medications were incomplete |
| Cohen et al8 | 98 | Definition of medication history: prescription medication, over-the-counter drugs, supplements Definition of discrepancy: drug omission Comparison: pharmacist↔physician | 36.5% median discordance within patients older than 65 years, without cognitive impairment or those who were accompanied by a caregiver |
| Miller et at11 | 234 | Definition of medication history: prescription medication Definition of discrepancy: omission or incorrectness of medication, dose, frequency and route of administration Comparison: pharmacist↔trauma team (physicians and nurses) | For physicians, 96% of the patients had at least one discrepancy For nurses, 89% of the patients had at least one discrepancy |
| Shepherd et al12 | 1465 | Definition of medication history: prescription medication, over-the-counter drugs, supplements Definition of discrepancy: drug omission, drug commission Comparison: pharmacist↔triage nurse | 48% of the patients had at least one discrepancy |