Summary
Since adverse drug events upon hospital discharge are common and sometimes serious, this US study investigated the prevalence of medication reconciliation. It found that medication reconciliation and patient understanding (or carer’s understanding, possibly in the case of dementia patients) may be inadequate post-discharge for older patients. Errors and misunderstandings are common if medications are unrelated to the primary diagnosis. The authors recommend efforts to improve medication reconciliation and patient understanding. Medication reconciliation and patient understanding should be focused on the whole patient; instead of being disease-specific.
Reference
Ziaeian, B. Araujo, KL. [and] Van Ness, PH. [et al] (2012). Medication reconciliation accuracy and patient understanding of intended medication changes on hospital discharge. Journal of General Internal Medicine, November 2012, Vol.27(11), pp.1513-20. (Click here to view the PubMed abstract).
