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Community pharmacists can help ease a patient’s transition between facilities, physicians and/or service providers by guiding them and their caregivers through their medication reconciliation.
While hospitals in BC have been implementing medication reconciliation during patient admission for the past few years, it is also common to reconcile medication during a patient’s transfer to another facility or discharge.
Community pharmacists may see a list of medication marked “continue”, “discontinued” or “changed”. It is essential that the pharmacist clearly communicate the expected dosage and duration of these medications as the listing can be overwhelming for a patient or caregiver.
For any medication listed as “continue” without any marked quantity, the pharmacist should be aware that one of two scenarios may have occurred. The patient said they have sufficient amounts at home, or the physician completing the form may not have been specialized in the medication ordered.
For more information on medication reconciliation, visit the Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s program Safer Health Care Now at www.saferhealthcarenow.ca/EN/Interventions/medrec/Pages/default.aspx.
- Medication Reconciliation
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