Your Health: What’s With All the Questions?
(Explaining Medication Reconciliation)
Have you or someone you know recently been in the hospital? Do you know anyone who has had to answer the question about what kind of medications they take when brought into the hospital or for a clinic visit? Have you ever wondered why multiple people may ask this question? This is an important part of your medical team’s job to make sure that we are giving you everything that you need for medications and not missing anything.
Medication reconciliation means that a healthcare worker (such as a nurse, pharmacist, or pharmacy technician) compares the medications that your provider has ordered in the hospital to what medications you take at home. This is done by asking you a series of questions about your medications.
Some of these questions include what the medication names are, what strength of medication you take, what the medications are used for, and how often you take each medication daily. Some additional questions that may be asked could be things like when was the last time that you took this medication and what pharmacy you prefer to have your medications filled at. We will also ask what over-the-counter (OTC) medications you take in addition to the prescription medications that you are on. Some OTC medications can include creams, ointments, eye drops, and supplements.
You may be asking why we need to do this. First, it is a way for healthcare professionals to double check what medications you are on so that medications are ordered correctly in the hospital. Tying into that, if we need to discontinue, change, or add on any medications in a way that is different from what you do at home, it gives your healthcare team the opportunity to check in and answer any questions that you may have.
When your medical team can answer any questions or concerns that you have about what is going on while you are in the hospital, it helps develop and nurture trust between caregivers and patients. In turn, this can better your patient care and experience in the hospital. When it comes to OTC medications, your pharmacist can double check that there are no serious concerns with the various medications that you are taking.
Another benefit is that, by completing this medication reconciliation and keeping it as updated as possible, it can help your medical team in the future when they are deciding what medications you need to be sent home on and what you may need to stop taking when you leave the hospital.
Depending on what you have going on during your hospital stay, you may need to be moved to different areas of the hospital as you get better. Ideally, medication reconciliation is done with every move/transition of care whether it be moving to a different floor or a different facility. As we are all human, discussions between healthcare workers and patients about medications help clear up any information that may have gotten lost in translation when transitioning into another healthcare professional’s or healthcare team’s care.
Medication reconciliation is an important part of any person’s health care. This process helps prevent medication errors in the hospital and prevent dangerous drug interactions. Also, this can help ensure that everyone has the same information whenever there is a change in care for a patient, such as a change in providers, healthcare facility, or places of living (such as an assisted living facility or nursing home).
Keeping an updated medication list through medication reconciliation can also help patients understand and keep track of any changes made when they are getting ready to leave the hospital and go back home. Therefore, if you ever find yourself in a position where you are questioned about the medications that you are taking and you are getting annoyed or frustrated, please know that healthcare workers are just keeping your safety in mind and appreciate your ability to help us take care of you the best that we can.