Summary
Medication reconciliation was developed to reduce medical mistakes and injuries through
a process of creating and comparing a current medication list from independent patient
information sources, and resolving discrepancies. The structure and clinician assignments
of medication reconciliation varies between institutions, but usually includes physicians,
nurses and pharmacists. The Joint Commission has recognized the value of medication
reconciliation and mandated implementation in 2006; however, a variety of issues have
prevented simple, easy, and universal implementation. This review references issues
related to the development and the implementation of medication reconciliation including:
– the need of a system or standard for accurate drug identification to create a definitive
‘gold standard’ patient medication list, – identifying stakeholders of medication
reconciliation within the institution and contrasting staff interest and participation
with institutional resources, – observations and opportunities of integrating medication
reconciliation with the electronic patient health record, and – summarizing a series
of institutions experiences developing and implementing medication reconciliation.
Last, as medication reconciliation becomes a regular process within medical centers,
key concepts for effective implementation are discussed.
Keywords
Medication reconciliation - medical errors - patient safety - medical informatics
- drug errors - pharmaceuticals
