A Quality Use of Medicines program for continuity of care in therapeutics from hospital to community

To the Editor: Several studies have documented the high incidence of adverse events arising during hospital admission. The potential for discontinuity of care and poor communication is significant when patients are admitted to and discharged from hospitals, hence the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council (APAC) has established guidelines to ensure continuity in the quality use of medicines.1 A study reported in 2001 by Mant et al found very low compliance with a minimum dataset based on the APAC guidelines.2 These authors subsequently held workshops to identify problems, develop action plans and refine these strategies. However, the follow-up report, published recently in the Journal, reported little change in adherence to the minimum dataset.3