Client Story
A digitally enabled approach to more efficient medication reconciliation
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Altera Digital Health, has transformed medication reconciliation through the introduction of the Meds on Admission (MoA) module within the Sunrise Electronic Patient Record (EPR) platform. By streamlining previously complex workflows, MoA aids the clinician in reconciling medications from previous visits to avoid duplicate data entry across emergency and inpatient settings, reduces transcription risk and improves the timely delivery of critical medications, creating a safer and more efficient experience for both patients and clinicians.
Reduced medication documentation time from 60 seconds to 29.7 seconds per drug
More than 4,000 medications from previous visits selected for reuse when documenting patient admission drugs in the first three months
33+ hours of pharmacy time saved, with further scaling potential
Improved delivery of medications and safer patient care
The challenge
Accurate medication documentation, ratification and reconciliation at the point of admission is a vital component of patient safety. Delivering this consistently in fast-paced emergency and acute care environments requires systems that can adapt to dynamic clinical workflows.
At Dudley, Sunrise™ Order Reconciliation Manager (ORM) provided a strong and reliable foundation for medication reconciliation, built around structured and sequential processes. As clinical services evolved to become more agile and responsive, an opportunity was identified to further enhance this approach to better reflect the realities of modern clinical practice.
Clinicians often work across multiple activities simultaneously, particularly in busy emergency settings where prescribing discharge medication and admission reconciliation may occur in parallel rather than in a strictly sequential way. In addition, reconciliation details captured in the Emergency Department (ED) did not always flow seamlessly into the inpatient stage, meaning some processes needed to be repeated.
Recognising these opportunities, the trust set out to evolve medication reconciliation into a more connected, end-to-end digital process, aligned with real-world clinical workflows while enhancing both efficiency and patient safety.
The solution
In response, Dudley partnered with Altera to develop Meds on Admission (MoA)—a UK-specific digital enhancement designed to support non-linear, real-world care pathways across all adult inpatient wards. MoA creates a continuous medication reconciliation journey by surfacing historical prescribing data from previous encounters and presenting it through an intuitive medication picklist. Clinicians can quickly review, select and import medications into the admission record, removing the need for and risks of manual re-entry or duplication of medications that may have been prescribed on multiple previous visits.
Importantly, reconciliation activity that begins in ED persists seamlessly into the inpatient setting. This enables clinicians to start the process as soon as the patient arrives, improving both efficiency and accuracy while eliminating duplication.
Impact and outcomes
Three months after implementation, MoA delivered measurable improvements across safety, efficiency, and clinical experience. Documentation time has been significantly reduced, up to a minute per medication to under 30 seconds, allowing clinicians and pharmacy teams to focus more on direct patient care. More than 4,000 medications were imported during the initial period, saving more than 33 hours of pharmacy time, with the potential for further gains as adoption continues to grow.
The shift from manual transcription to structured digital selection has improved data quality and consistency, ensuring medication records are reliable and visible across the multidisciplinary team. This supports timely reconciliation beginning in ED and reduces the risk of delays to time critical treatments, for example, for patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
Capturing accurate medication information earlier in the pathway has also streamlined discharge processes, helping reduce delays and improve the overall flow of patients through the hospital.
Rebecca Picton, Lead Pharmacist of the Emergency Department, commented: “Meds on Admission has transformed medication reconciliation across our organisation. By removing manual transcription and providing instant access to structured medication histories, we’ve significantly improved both efficiency. Our pharmacists can now complete admission reconciliation earlier in the patient journey so patients medications are not delayed whilst they may spend extended time in ED. The time saved is now being reinvested into clinical care, directly benefiting patients.”
Implementation and adoption
MoA has achieved strong multidisciplinary uptake, supported by its intuitive design and clear clinical benefits. Pharmacy teams account for most of the system use, with resident doctor adoption steadily increasing over time.
The future
Building on early success, the trust is leveraging Business Intelligence dashboards to monitor utilisation and outcomes while identifying further opportunities for optimisation. Plans include expanding access to historical medication data and delivering targeted training to maximise adoption across all clinical groups.
Meds on Admission has successfully evolved medication reconciliation to better reflect the realities of modern clinical practice. By reducing duplication, improving efficiency, and enhancing data visibility, MoA enables safer, faster, and more coordinated care. It stands as a strong example of how targeted digital innovation can transform patient pathways and deliver meaningful improvements from admission through to discharge.
Ravi Kaur Sahota, Group Chief Information Officer, commented: “This initiative demonstrates the power of true collaboration between clinical teams and digital partners. MoA has delivered a scalable, data-driven solution that reduces variation, improves data quality and creates a seamless patient journey from admission through to discharge.”