Medication reconciliation in acute care: ensuring an accurate drug regimen on admission and discharge.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's (JCAHO) National Patient Safety Goals advocate for hospitals to ensure medication reconciliation as part of their safety strategy. This article shares the views of a single institution in its efforts to construct reconciliation forms, design processes for use, and then audit the forms after put into practice. The authors offer a series of lessons learned from their implementation experience and suggest that future success relies on a team-oriented approach with consistent communication.