Question

What is the importance of medication reconciliation, include the following, What did you learn from the research of this, What can you contribute to the information? How will this information enable you as a nurse? Add any personal experiences that you may have observed related to topic & share your insight .

Answer 1

The medication reconciliation process is a cost-effective strategy to reduce medication discrepancies and potential adverse drug events (ADEs) as patients move through interfaces of care.

The process of medication reconciliation involves the following key components:

1. Obtaining the Best Possible Medication History (BPMH).
2. Using the BPMH when writing admission, transfer and discharge medication orders.
3. Comparing the BPMH with the admission, transfer or discharge medication orders, identifying and bringing any discrepancies to the attention of the team

Types of medication errors that can be prevented by reconciling medications may include:

Failure to prescribe clinically important home medications while in hospital.

Incorrect doses or dosage forms.

failure to clearly specify which home medications should be resumed and/or discontinued at home after hospital discharge.

Duplicate therapy at discharge (result of brand/generic name combinations or hospital formulary substitutions)

The nurse’s role in the medication reconciliation process is essential because she must have a good understanding of all the medications a patient is to receive and why. Also, certain medications that the patient was using at home may not be supplied by the pharmacy because they are on the hospital formulary. This requires communication between the pharmacist and the nurse to ensure that any “patient’s own” medications are identified, stored and administered safely.

patient was admitted for total knee replacement surgery. After four or five days the patient was not motivated and refused to get out of bed. The family mentioned to the nurse that the patient had been on an antidepressant medication prior to admission and it had not been ordered while in hospital. The medication was ordered. It took approximately one week for the medication to work again, resulting in a prolonged hospital stay.