Development and feasibility of an educational module on medication reconciliation for hospital pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates: a pilot study

Background: The practice of medication reconciliation by pharmacists is minimal in United Arab Emirates hospitals. Objectives: To design an educational module for pharmacists on medication reconciliation and assess its feasibility. Methods: The study consisted of three parts: A pre-educational module survey using a validated knowledge, perception, practice, and barriers questionnaire (Cronbach’s α = 0.78), delivery of the educational module, and participants’ feedback. An educational module (general introduction to medication reconciliation, what is medication reconciliation, how to do medication reconciliation, and practicing medication reconciliation) was developed based on Miller’s pyramid and validated by three experts and pilot-tested. The knowledge and perceptions of pharmacists were evaluated by comparing pre-post educational module survey results. Results: The module influenced the participants’ knowledge and perception of medication reconciliation. All of the participants gave ‘positive’ feedback on the intervention and the methodology applied, and they agreed on the need for training and workshops related to medication reconciliation. In addition, all ‘agreed’ that a lack of knowledge about medication reconciliation is the biggest barrier to medication reconciliation practices. The results further illustrated that all pharmacists had a ‘positive’ experience and ‘agreed strongly’ on understanding the majority of the content. Conclusion: This study was successful in answering the research question by enrolling suitable participants, managing the timeline, and possessing resources for completing the study and hence considered feasible. This module can be utilized in continuous professional development programs to improve pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions, and practice toward the medication reconciliation process aiming to reduce drug therapy-related problems in hospital settings.