Introduction
fracture
SECONDARY
Hip fracture is a serious incident for the individual as it may lead to disability, increased care needs, reduced quality of life, and is associated with high mortality [Care transitions between home, hospital, and rehabilitation institution are crucial in healthcare, yet they pose a significant patient safety risk [For hip fracture patients, the combination of the above-mentioned evidence reflects the need for seamless communication of a clear and correct medication list, containing appropriate pharmacotherapy and the plan for follow-up. We developed an innovative, multi-step, clinical pharmacist intervention specifically for the hip fracture patient. The pharmacist followed the patient throughout the healthcare system; both within and between care settings—i.e. a Patient Pathway Pharmacist. To the best of our knowledge, a clinical pharmacist service where the pharmacist is allocated to a specific patient pathway has not been described previously. The intention was to secure safe and optimised pharmacotherapy in every care setting by performing repeated medication reconciliations, reviews and assisting in communication between care settings. The intervention would also be in line with recommendations for continuity of healthcare providers in coordination of medication management with multidisciplinary teams [Thus, the primary aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the Patient Pathway Pharmacist intervention for hip fracture patients on medication management and pharmacotherapy compared to pre-intervention controls. The secondary aim was to evaluate the implementation of the Patient Pathway Pharmacist intervention for hip fracture patients in primary and secondary care settings.