Research has always been an exciting and interactive component of ASCP-UW. For the last couple years, the organization had dedicated its time and resources to investigate the degree of medication adherence in the elderly population. This year, ASCP-UW is focusing their attention on transition of care by conducting a cross-sectional study that involves prospective and retrospective chart reviews performed at four hospitals in Washington—Valley Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Northwest Medical Center, and Providence Regional Medical Center. Transition of care, a developing area of interest in pharmacy practice, is the process by which one care facility transfers its care of a patient to another facility or a patient’s home. This process typically involves reconciliation of medications and discharge instructions. However, improper education during patient discharge has increasingly introduced preventable complications such as adverse drug-drug interaction and allergic reactions. These complications ultimately result in patient readmissions that drastically reduce the efficiency of the hospital from which a patient received their initial care. Through this observational study, ASCP-UW aims to gain a better understanding of the roles pharmacists play in the transition of care process and intends to identify areas of improvement that will decrease hospital readmission rates and improve hospital efficiency.
University of Washington School of Pharmacy
UW Student ASCP Chapter
Box 357631
Seattle, WA 98195-7631
