Medication Reconciliation
Medication Reconciliation
Kimberly McElroy
Excelsior College
Medication reconciliation in my opinion is the process by which a member of the healthcare team, the nurse or physician, thoroughly examines a patient medications, making sure the medications do not interfere with another medication, making sure that there are not duplicate medications, even though medications have different names, medications may be used for the same things, and making sure that patient has the correct understanding as to how to take the medication properly and what each medication is used for.
In healthcare medication reconciliation is important because it protects the patient against the possibility of poly pharmacy and it’s also a teaching tool for patients to know what medications are used for certain illnesses and diseases. Medication reconciliation should be done at the time the patient is admitted and at the time the patient is discharged (Taylor, p. 733). This is done on admittance, in my opinion so the provider would know what drug the patient is taking and also so the provider will not prescribe other medications that may interfere with what the patient is taking already; and upon discharge so that both the patient and possibly the family member have an understanding as to what is to be continued after discharge.
Medication reconciliation helps to avoid medication errors by making sure the patient is not receiving duplicate orders of medications, dosing errors, and avoiding drug interactions (Barnsteiner, 2008). Within the hospital setting it is important for each department to stop the medications that the patient is receiving and the each unit rewrite new orders pertaining to the patient medications. This helps eliminate the duplicate order process and also the medication that may be given on one unit may not be pertinent or may require lower dosing on another unit.
Medication reconciliation has a great potential to affect patient outcomes. If a patient fails to
Kimberly McElroy
Excelsior College
Medication reconciliation in my opinion is the process by which a member of the healthcare team, the nurse or physician, thoroughly examines a patient medications, making sure the medications do not interfere with another medication, making sure that there are not duplicate medications, even though medications have different names, medications may be used for the same things, and making sure that patient has the correct understanding as to how to take the medication properly and what each medication is used for.
In healthcare medication reconciliation is important because it protects the patient against the possibility of poly pharmacy and it’s also a teaching tool for patients to know what medications are used for certain illnesses and diseases. Medication reconciliation should be done at the time the patient is admitted and at the time the patient is discharged (Taylor, p. 733). This is done on admittance, in my opinion so the provider would know what drug the patient is taking and also so the provider will not prescribe other medications that may interfere with what the patient is taking already; and upon discharge so that both the patient and possibly the family member have an understanding as to what is to be continued after discharge.
Medication reconciliation helps to avoid medication errors by making sure the patient is not receiving duplicate orders of medications, dosing errors, and avoiding drug interactions (Barnsteiner, 2008). Within the hospital setting it is important for each department to stop the medications that the patient is receiving and the each unit rewrite new orders pertaining to the patient medications. This helps eliminate the duplicate order process and also the medication that may be given on one unit may not be pertinent or may require lower dosing on another unit.
Medication reconciliation has a great potential to affect patient outcomes. If a patient fails to
References: Taylor, C.R. (2011). Fundamentals of nursing: the art and science of nursing. Philadelphia, PA. Wolters Kluwer Health/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Barnsteiner, J. (2008). Chapter 38: Medication reconciliation. In Hughes, R.G. (ed.). Patient safety and quality: An evidence-based handbook for nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2648/.