Objective: To quantify the perceived discrepancies between the medication that GPs believed their patients were taking and that which was recorded on admission to acute psychiatric wards.
Methods: A prospective survey of 107 consecutive admissions to a Swansea psychiatric hospital was carried out.
Results: In 62% of patients studied, there was at least one discrepancy each and in 33%, the discrepancies were considered potentially clinically significant.
Conclusions: The study showed a significant number of potentially serious discrepancies in medication at the GP-Hospital interface and highlighted the need for improved communication between GPs and their psychiatric colleagues. The possible reasons for the discrepancies and the implications for communication between primary and secondary care for psychiatric patients are explored.
