Medication errors have been shown to be the most common type of errors affecting patient safety. In fact, preventable adverse drug events are associated with one out of five injuries or deaths. Preventing harm from medications, or adverse drug events (ADEs), remains a top patient safety priority. Medicine reconciliation is an effective tool for for preventing ADEs and improving patient safety. The essence of medication reconciliation is making sense of a patient’s medications and resolving conflicts between different sources of information. As a result, healthcare providers are able to minimize harm and to maximize therapeutic effects. Learn more about medicine reconciliation below.
What is Medicine Reconciliation?
Medication reconciliation is the process of creating the most accurate list possible of all medications a patient is taking including drug name, dosage, frequency, and route. Then comparing that list against the physician’s admission, transfer, and/or discharge orders. The goal of medication reconciliation is to provide correct medications to the patient. Proper medication reconciliation is necessary to avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplication, dosing errors, or drug–drug interactions.
Why is Medicine Reconciliation Important?
Medicine Reconciliation arose as the solution to the well-documented patient safety problem of unintentionally introducing changes in patients’ medication regimens due to incomplete or inaccurate medication information at transitions in care. National patient safety initiatives have increased the importance of medicine reconciliation as the Institute of Medicine has found that poor communication of medical information at transition points is responsible for as many as 50 percent of all medication errors and up to 20 percent of adverse drug events in the hospital. Despite mandates, medicine reconciliation is still remarkably inconsistent. More clinical leaders are recognizing the need for better medicine reconciliation. Despite that, if doing so adds time or steps, it may not be done properly. It is crucial to find a healthcare provider that makes medicine reconciliation a priority.
Medication Reconciliation Services at Dedication Health
At Dedication Health, our Medication Reconciliation service strives to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of your medication needs and how your medicines interact with each other. Our team continuously works to maximize your treatments’ therapeutic effects. In addition, we identify any possible conflict your medications may cause. Our goal is to always be in communication with you about your medication and work with you to make any adjustments as needed. To do this, we follow the standards set forth by the American Medical Association and adhere to the seven steps of Medication Reconciliation. To become a patient at Dedication Health, a concierge medical practice in Chicago’s North Shore, contact us today at 847-986-6770.